Veteran golfer Phil Mickelson has claimed to have enjoyed the controversy surrounding the ‘teegate’ incident at the recently concluded Dubai Desert Classic. The much-talked-about episode started with Rory McIlroy ignoring LIV defector Patrick Reed at the practice range and culminated in a thrilling finish between the pair on Monday. According to Mickelson, such incidents were “great for the game” and predicted more such clashes.

Phil Mickelson lauds Teegate controversy

Playing at the Saudi International this weekend, Mickelson gave his school of thought regarding the controversies that occurred in the Emirates Golf Club last week. While the situation wasn’t apt for the morality of golf, the 6-time major championship winner thought otherwise.

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“I thought it was great for the game,” he said. “To have that type of interest, and it’s been interest throughout the globe, that’s a really good thing.”

Like many other viewers, Mickelson was captivated by the Reed-McIlroy dispute. It eventually ignited the pair, as the two went head-to-head in a stunning finish to the tournament.

For the unversed, it all began when Reed tried to greet the World No. 1 at the practice range. But McIlroy decided to give him a cold shoulder, which prompted a disgruntled Reed to throw one of his LIV golf tees.

The news made headlines the following day. While both golfers tried to play down the event, regular conversations about the incident kept the flame burning. Additionally, the tournament was never shy of news surrounding McIlroy or Reed, with both punching above their weights for an extraordinary performance.

Mickelson wasn’t shy of taking a dive into the incident as well, be it his tweets on McIlroy’s impressive Sunday performance, or his view on the whole controversy. In the end, the PGA Tour loyalist triumphed victoriously, by merely a single stroke, but fans left smiling after an engrossing weekend. “What transpired early in the week with Patrick and Rory added to the excitement level,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson expects more such showdowns in the coming months

The 52-year-old also weighed in on his predictions from the UK court hearing, which will take place in February. The ruling will either ban or continue to grant permission for LIV golfers to participate in DP Tour events.

According to Mickelson, the LIV fraternity has an upper hand in the case. In such a scenario, he believed there would be more events with a roster of both DP Tour and LIV players, which would ultimately result in a clash of opinions.

“There’s a very good chance that you’ll have more showdowns, more head-to-head competitions like you saw last week in Dubai, and I think that would be a really good thing for the game,” he said.

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