Brandel Chamblee continues Mickelson feud over | Golf News

Phil Mickelson has fired back at former skilled golfer Brandel Chamblee following his assertion that The Players Championship deserves major standing, escalating their ongoing social media feud.

Now a Golf Channel analyst, Chamblee beforehand competed on the PGA Tour but has turn into one of LIV Golf’s most vocal critics since the Saudi-funded league launched in 2022 – the same 12 months Mickelson defected from the PGA Tour.

Mickelson has recurrently countered Chamblee’s anti-LIV remarks, with Anthony Kim also getting concerned in exchanges with the commentator. Now Chamblee has stirred controversy with his views on The Players Championship, only to obtain a sharp rebuke from Mickelson.

While on air for the Golf Channel, Chamblee steered the community treats The Players Championship with major-level coverage and insisted it stands as golf’s premier event. He went additional, claiming it surpasses all 4 conventional majors in high quality.

Mickelson did not mince phrases in his X post, stating bluntly: “I’ve won it. It’s not.” Lee Westwood appeared to back Mickelson’s stance, responding with laughing emojis.

Undeterred, Chamblee took to social media to defend his place outdoors the Golf Channel platform, laying out 4 complete arguments for why this non-major event deserves larger recognition. His first level challenged the “history” surrounding established majors – a regularly debated matter.

“Majors have a century or so of history, The Players started in 1974,” Chamblee posted on X. “Well, the Masters only dates to 1934 (74 years after the first major) and debatably didn’t become a major until 1960 or so… a full hundred years after The Open began.

“The Open, although it began in 1860, did not start to have a real global appeal until around 1960… The PGA Championship did not actually start to resonate with the golf world until it radically modified its format and discipline from match to medal play.

“… If history is the predetermining factor then why has history included new majors and dismissed old ones. History is not inherited, it’s accumulated and is the outcome of importance sustained over time.”

The analyst then outlined how the majors operate under impartial possession and governance, asserting that The Players doubtlessly holds larger legitimacy than any other major championship. Chamblee additional contended that TPC Sawgrass, the venue for The Players, is particularly crafted to problem every facet of a golfer’s sport through its demanding format.

Lastly, Chamblee identified that three of the 4 majors happen in the U.S., suggesting this undermines the game’s worldwide character, which is regularly championed. Paradoxically, this commentary also reinforces his case for The Players’ superiority.

“The Players has been won by players from Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa and Latin America,” Chamblee famous. “The event may be played in the US but it is not American golf in composition.”

He went on to say, ” No tournament tests world-class players more completely than The Players Championship. Competitive legitimacy outweighs geographic symmetry, and The Players already functions as the most globally representative championship in professional golf, regardless of its US address.”