‘This was a failed coup’

What started out as a typical Thursday morning for PGA Tour players, their caddies, coaches and agents, as they prepared for the start of last week’s Genesis Invitational, quickly turned into an unusual day.

The practice range at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles was calm, as those in the field methodically warmed up and went through their routines. Then cellphones started going off up and down the line. The Fire Pit Collective’s Alan Shipnuck had just published explosive quotes from Phil Mickelson about the proposed Saudi-financed Super Golf League being formed and his willingness to ignore the alleged human rights violations of its backers.

“There was definitely a buzz on the range,” said one prominent PGA Tour agent. “Somebody sent it to me, and everybody else’s phones were getting it either from buddies, other players, associates, whomever. It got everybody’s attention.”

In his conversation with Shipnuck, Mickelson said that despite knowing the Saudis, who he called “scary motherf—ers,” had killed Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, and that the country has a deplorable record on human rights, according to watchdog groups around the world, Mickelson was using the potential opportunity to join the new circuit as leverage against the PGA Tour.

“This wasn’t just Phil being Phil,” one PGA Tour player said. “This was a failed coup. How in the hell do you come back from that?”

And just five days later, everything changed dramatically for Mickelson, who apologized, lost at least two of his longtime sponsors and maybe more and announced he’s taking time away from golf “to prioritize the ones he loves most and to work on being the man he wants to be.” Mickelson contends his comments to…