Phil Mickelson was in his element — on a practice range with a wedge in his hands.
He was conducting a cool youth clinic Wednesday for Adaptive Golf, a program that empowers kids with cognitive, physical and sensory-related challenges, and he was mesmerizing a group of children with his charm.
And finally, after the clinic was over at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey, Mickelson spent about 20 minutes speaking with two reporters in a wide-ranging interview, which has become a rarity for him since LIV Golf began.
“How has your golf life changed in the last year and a half?’’
That was the first question I asked Mickelson in advance of the LIV Golf tournament this week at Trump Bedminster.
“I certainly have a lot of things to say,’’ Mickelson said.
That, for the ever-opinionated Mickelson, would be an understatement.
Mickelson has been the face of LIV Golf and the target of the harshest criticism. No one — not even LIV CEO Greg Norman — has taken more flak than Mickelson since the rival golf tour, financially backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), opened for business.
Mickelson has never shied away from controversy. He never has been a wallflower, nor intimidated by being the center of attention.
“I’ve kind of thrown myself in the fire plenty of times,’’ he said. “I’m happy to do it, because I believe in the long run. I knew the first two years of disruption were going to be difficult on everyone. Then it’ll start to settle in and I think that that’s what we’re starting to see.’’
That settling in is the “framework agreement’’ the PGA Tour and LIV Golf jointly announced on June 6 and are trying to hash out before the end of 2023.
Mickelson, as The Post first reported, went to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan before LIV Golf was formed and proposed elevated events and team golf. Those ideas were rejected by Monahan and the PGA Tour.
Since then, LIV Golf formed, is in its second year and has forced the PGA Tour into a pending agreement with the PIF in an effort to save itself financially and stop its top players from joining LIV.
“There are two areas of professional golf that I worked hard on and they weren’t going to happen until LIV, which was a team aspect and elevated events, because the fans need to see the best players play against each other more often,’’ Mickelson said. “I worked very hard on both of those prior [to LIV] and it was made very clear [by the PGA Tour] that those were not going to come about … because it was believed to be [by the PGA Tour] that LIV wasn’t going to happen. And now that it has happened, those changes have been made.’’
Virginia.
His reaction to the PGA Tour’s reaction to LIV?
“Prior to this, Jay and I had three four-hour meetings and all the notes I look back on from those meetings, I would say 85-to-90 percent of them are happening, and I think that’s really cool and I’m happy for the PGA Tour and I wish them all the best.’’
Asked if he has found himself shaking his head as the PGA Tour has enacted many of the ideas he proposed in the first place, Mickelson said, “I have found myself chuckling, yes.’’
Mickelson, who has been part of the fabric of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, having played in 12 of them and as a vice captain in 2021, weighed in on the elephant in the room for current U.S. captain Zach Johnson as he ponders whether to make any LIV players captain’s picks.
Brooks Koepka, who’s No. 4 on the points list, is a virtual lock to remain in the top six, all of whom automatically on the team. But Bryson DeChambeau, who won the LIV event last week by shooting 58 in the final round, has to be a candidate for Johnson, as should Dustin Johnson, who won all five of his matches in 2021 at Whistling Straits.
“There are some players here that have played some golf that I would argue has been some of the best in the world,’’ Mickelson said. “Bryson’s last week is one of the best performances in the game. Talor Gooch [three LIV wins this year] has had one of the best performances of the year and Brooks is one of the toughest competitors in the world.
“We’ve got four or five guys here that you could make the argument are some of the best American players, for sure. But I don’t want to step on Zach’s toes and tell him what he should or shouldn’t do. He’s the captain and he’s got to be the one making the decisions on what he thinks is best for the U.S. team.’’
Asked what his level of curiosity is about whom Johnson picks for the team from LIV, Mickelson said: “I’ve kind of detached from that a little bit. I’ve accepted the fact that I’ve had 12 or 13 years of great Ryder Cup experiences. I’ve enjoyed my time, but have kind of let it go and let others take over as players and captains and let myself just kind of be a fan watching them.’’