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Phil Mickelson biographer Alan Shipnuck was physically removed from a LIV Golf London press conference on Thursday following the first round of the event.
Well, a couple of neckless security dudes just physically removed me from Phil Mickelson's press conference, saying they were acting on orders from their boss, whom they refused to name. (Greg Norman? MBS? Al Capone?) Never a dull moment up in here.
— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) June 9, 2022
Shipnuck’s publication of quotes from Mickelson about Saudi Arabia and his work with the LIV Tour are what caused the six-time major champion to step away from the game for more than four months.
Shipnuck followed Mickelson’s group today in person at the Centurion Club, live tweeting and even sending out some video.
Video by @AlanShipnuck
— Fire Pit Collective (@firepitstories) June 9, 2022
BREAKING: After nearly two hours of ruminating up close, we have decided we like Mickelson’s facial hair. He looks scrappy and a little dangerous, which feels right.
— Fire Pit Collective (@firepitstories) June 9, 2022
He was a credentialed media member by the tournament before his ejection, but where that stands for the rest of the event we don’t know yet. He had an exchange with Greg Norman via text which he shared on his Twitter account.
With the main criticism of LIV being that it’s backed by the Saudi Arabian Sovereign Wealth Fund, a national with a human rights record that is one of the worst in the world, throwing journalists out of press events is probably not the publicity the event was seeking. We’ll see how they react to the inevitable criticism that comes with this decision.
Mickelson finished the day T7 at -1, four shots back of leader Charl Schwartzel.