Mike Francesa is going to bat for Phil Mickelson, who will not defend his PGA Championship title when the tournament starts Thursday at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla.
Mickelson’s name initially was included in the field, but he withdrew last Friday amid the ongoing fallout regarding the Saudi-backed Super Golf League.
That led Francesa, the former WFAN host, to step into it Tuesday on Twitter: “The PGA won’t be the same without Phil this weekend. He made mistakes. He paid a hefty price. Time for everybody to forgive and forget. Time for Lefty to return.”
The “mistake” Mickelson made was the choice of words he used to defend his involvement in the Super Golf League. Mickelson called the Saudi Arabians “scary” and said he was only using the Super Golf League as leverage in dealing with the PGA Tour. Those comments were made in November to author Alan Shipnuck, who’s writing an unauthorized biography of the six-time major champion.
“They’re scary motherf-----s to get involved with,” he said, per the Washington Post. “We know they killed [Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi] and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
Mickelson hasn’t played competitively in three months, sequestering himself in self-imposed exile. That included skipping The Masters last month in Augusta, Ga.
Last year, Mickelson became the oldest golfer to win a major when, at the age of 50, he claimed his second PGA Championship and sixth major overall.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.