Phil Mickelson has been on a Twitter tear recently, and it doesn’t if the target of his commentary has dozens or thousands of followers.
One of his latest recipients was an account with 44 followers, who called Mickelson an “ass” and said that he hoped Lefty gets “booed off the playing grounds. Boos are free!”
“I see your sense of humor lived in your hair,” Mickelson tweeted in a reply, referencing the bald man’s profile picture.
Mickelson engaged with a dozen other posts Thursday that had responded to his tweet — a reply to former NFL running back Danny Woodhead’s support proposing a team event between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. Mickelson and Tiger Woods would be the captains for their respective sides and the hypothetical event would be the “most watched golf event in history,” one account tweeted.
“It sounds great, but we would dominate them so soundly and it would be over so quick that tv would have to fill an hour of dead time,” Mickelson replied. “That’s why it’s not happening at this time.”
And that opened the Twitter floodgates.
One user posited that Mickelson had been putting “too much ‘good stuff’” in his coffee recently. Another, who criticized Mickelson for trash-talking Woods, pinpointed Mickelson as the definition of someone who “used to be cool.” A third said that Mickelson had become a clown recently, using that emoji and adding that “Maybe you always were & we just never knew it.
“Coulrophobic I see,” Mickelson jabbed back.
Finally, a user caught on and noticed what Mickelson had tried to do with his original reply to Woodhead and the vision for the LIV-PGA Tour event.
“Phil = the ultimate sh&t talker trying to make it happen,” the user tweeted. “I see what you did there.”
“Jeff,” Mickelson typed, “you seem to be the only one.”
Mickelson became the most prominent golfer to leave the PGA Tour for the controversial Saudi-backed circuit. His deal was reported to be around $200 million. He even later proposed that the two rival associations “should come together,” adding that the connection would allow for the history of golf to blend with the “cool, updated feel.”
This week, Mickelson is participating in the PIF Saudi International — an Asian Tour event at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club — and through one round was tied for 38th at even par.