Three-time champion is no longer a fan favourite, with Jack Nicklaus reflecting the lack of enthusiasm for him<\/p>\n
The sun was out on opening day at Augusta, and you could catch the reflection bouncing off Phil Mickelson\u2019s big old grin as he walked on to the first tee from the next county. At 54, the American\u2019s smile seems to be the one bit of his game that\u2019s still in good trim. He cuts an odd figure around the grounds these days, in his aviator shades and LIV-branded kit. Mickelson is a six-time major champion, and three-time Masters winner, and by any measure one of the very best to ever do it. He ought to be one of the most popular men here but it can feel hard to find anyone in the clubhouse who has\u00a0two\u00a0kind words about him to\u00a0rub together.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what level Phil is competing at,\u201d said Jack Nicklaus in his morning press conference. \u201cI guess he\u2019s still playing. He\u2019s playing the LIV Tour, is he? I don\u2019t know if he\u2019s playing or not. I don\u2019t know. You never see that any more.\u201d Nicklaus is 85 now, and while he knows damn well which tour Mickelson is on these days, he evidently doesn\u2019t want to spend any of the time he has left watching him play on it. \u201cYou know, Phil has been a good player, there\u2019s no question about that,\u201d Nicklaus\u00a0offered. \u201cHe has been competitive in an odd event here and there but\u00a0not really in the last few years.\u201d Ouch.<\/p>\n
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