Phil Mickelson Shares Concerns Over the Brooks Koepka Pairing While Being Tasked With the Biggest LIV Honor Defence

The tensions are slowly building up in the golf world with the LIV Golf Team Championship all set to get underway at the Trump National Doral in Miami. The twelve teams would be looking to take the biggest cut out of the total $50 million prize pool of the event. And taking on the talented field is none other than Phil Mickelson with his HyFlyers GC teammates.

Well, it takes two to tango, doesn’t it? And, Mickelson would be finding his opponent in the talented Brooks Koepka, who would be leading his Smash GC team. And reflecting on the same was ‘Lefty’, who remarked on the matchup while sharing his concern over battling it out with none other than Koepka!

Phil Mickelson’s thoughts on his matchup with Brooks Koepka

The squads ranked 9-12 in the 2023 LIV Golf standings would match against each other in both foursomes and singles. The 53-year-old professional’s team is currently in the 9th position rankings and they have been matched with the Koepka-led group. When asked about the same, Mickelson had much to say regarding his opponent.

In a press conference ahead of the event in Miami, the 45X PGA Tour champ mentioned how the Smash GC skipper “has played some of the best golf of anybody in the world this year.” Moreover, he alluded to his accolades that came in 2023, including the major win at the PGA Championship and the one in Jeddah last week, all the while jokingly pointing out how “there’s a lot of other guys he (Mickelson) would rather be playing against.”

However, the 6X major winner was quick to express his respect for the 33-year-old as he conveyed how he enjoys the game every time he plays against Koepka while indicating the fact that his work was cut out. Nevertheless, ‘Lefty’ made sure to intimate how he was looking forward to the “fun match.”

Well, it would be entertaining to see two teams led by such golfers duke it out on the field. However, it is natural for one to get curious as to who will win the same. While it can’t be determined at the moment, the squad’s performance in 2023 can be looked at.

The performance of Mickelson’s and Koepka’s teams in 2023

Neither team has managed to register a win on the circuit in the 2023 season. Although the Smash GC skipper won the event in Jeddah while scoring 14-under 196, his team could only manage a T7 finish at the same. However, the squad managed to finish second during the tournament in Orlando as opposed to HyFlyers, whose best finish came from Adelaide and Greenbrier; a T4.

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Well, with 54 and 40 points respectively, the Mickelson-led group and Koepka’s team, managed to find themselves in the 9th and 8th positions. And the fight on Friday would let the golf world know which would be the better squad.

Who do you think would win the matchup? Share your thoughts below.

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