Despite Harsh Neglect From Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson Gets Last Laugh at LIV Golf Adelaide

Phil Mickelson had a huge hand in Brendan Steele’s maiden victory at LIV Golf. The 41-year-old outlasted Louis Oosthuizen by two strokes and triumphed over the black beauty in Adelaide. Steele enjoyed his winning ceremony with champagne and a long, nice hug with his team captain, Mickelson.

Lefty might not have a similar hold on LIV Golf, as he did on the PGA Tour. The 6x major champion doesn’t advocate for the LIV as much as he used in the beginning, and the reasons for it could be numerous. He may be unaware of Greg Norman’s decisions, especially about the $3 billion merger; when questioned about it, the golfer replied, “Others are handling that. I’m not involved. Others are taking care of that.” Unlike the league, he still holds the utmost influence within his team. Why? Well, because Mickelson became Steele’s source of motivation, to the point that he won at the age of 41 and defeated a fairly young field.

Brendan Steele hails Phil Mickelson for his constant support

Phil Mickelson knows how to keep a team and let them win. No, he didn’t back out of LIV Golf Adelaide just so Brendan Steele would win. But before starting the final round, Lefty set his mindset in the direction that led to being on the winner’s podium. At the post-win press conference, Steele shared bits of his and Lefty’s conversation before the third round.

When the 2024 LIV Golf Adelaide winner doubted his winning chances, Mickelson showed confidence in him. Before Steele started the final round, the 6-time major champ asked him how he felt. In all honesty, he said, “If I can play freely like I did the last couple of days, I feel like I’ll have a good chance.”

Mickelson found that it was great that Steele was thinking about winning, but he wanted him to reframe his thoughts without any ifs or buts. Steele recounted at the post-win presser that Lefty was like, “No, it will be good enough; you will play freely. This is what you need to do. So that was what I was trying to do.” 

As arguably the best veteran on LIV Golf, Mickelson’s trust in Steele’s skills boosted his confidence, and the 41-year-old credited his win to his captain. Steele said, “He’s the reason that I’m here and the reason that I’m improving. To be honest, I’m 41 years old and I’m getting better, and it’s mostly because of him.” After the win, the two hugged tight, and Mickelson told Steele that he was proud of him. Lefty believes that “it’s (win) going to set off a lot of really good things for me (Steele).”

Mickelson might be the only golfer on LIV Golf that he takes advice from and follows earnestly. Interestingly, Mickelson has not won any tournament since he moved to LIV but he sure is the reason for Steele’s victory in The Grange. The winner himself said, “he’s a big reason I’m sitting up here.” The tale of Lefty helping golfers doesn’t stop there; there have been many under Mickelson’s wing.

Not just Steele; Mickelson has been a big brother to another pro as well

Lefty’s rise to fame and taking the golf world into a whirlwind isn’t an unknown story to many. With 45 victories on the PGA Tour and having made his name internationally, Mickelson has tons of experience to back him up. The 54-year-old doesn’t like to keep it to himself. Just like he advised Steele, Akshay Bhatia has been his disciple too.

When Bhatia turned pro, the 20-year-old revealed in a podcast interview with Fore Play Podcast that Mickelson was like a big brother to him and took him under his wing. Unlike many other pros, Lefty would always check up on the young player and just guide him to be the best he could be.

Bhatia remembered the time when he flew with the 45-time PGA Tour winner for an international game, and the veteran pro was just normal and didn’t make things uptight for him. Interestingly, Mickelson is a storyteller, so for the whole ride, Bhatia was living in the moment and learning from him.

Maybe Mickelson might not talk much these days, but the people in his inner circle will always find him supporting them!