Phil Mickelson has historically been one of the biggest draws at the Masters, but many fans who watched the first round on Thursday were left wondering why they barely got to see any of the six-time major champion.
Mickelson shot a 1-under 71 in Round 1 at Augusta National. He finished the day just six shots back of the lead, which is hardly insurmountable. The 52-year-old has always been given significant air time during majors even when he is not at his best, but that was not the case on Thursday.
Some believe that is because of Mickelson’s association with LIV Golf and the way he was shunned over the remarks he made about Saudi Arabia last year.
One of the reasons Mickelson is (or used to be) so popular is that he plays a unique style of golf and is never afraid to take risks. That typically makes for great television. His round on Thursday was vintage Mickelson in many ways. Mickelson hit a driver off the deck from the woods and even flipped an iron over to hit a shot right-handed. None of it was shown on the ESPN broadcast.
