"I just say a lot of stupid sh*t that goes viral" - Phil Mickelson on being the 'OG' of golf viral videos

Phil Mickelson has viral quotes, hilarious sound bites, and so much more. Over a lengthy and illustrious golf career, "Lefty" has been in the spotlight for so much and so often. He was asked on Thursday, May 2, if he felt like he was the original viral golf personality.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Mickelson response if it didn't have viral potential. In classic fashion, the golfer said:

"No, I just say a lot of stupid s**t that goes viral!"

Mickelson is adept at turning everything into a potential sound bite. And in perfect harmony, he took the setup that the interviewer gave him and ran with it. Not many could go viral for talking about going viral, but not many are Phil Mickelson.

Both he and Bryson DeChambeau, who was also on stage when this question was posed, share the belief that social media is vital to growing the game. Fans of sports are all over social media, so a presence there is necessary.

The duo has shot videos together and believes that they are a good way to help grow the game, which is one of the purported missions of LIV Golf. DeChambeau believes if they could even slightly reach the level of a top YouTuber, they'd be able to bring the game to everyone.

He said via The Golfing Gazette:

“The game would explode if we could barely tap into a percent of that. Mr Beast has a couple of 100 million followers and subscribers on one platform," he said. "He’s close to a billion on all platforms. The possibilities that could come with that kind of audience is not only unique but necessary for someone to get involved with the social media space, allowing the game to grow.”

Mickelson was going viral well before he left for LIV Golf, but it likely helped the PGA Tour continue to grow. Now, he and DeChambeau want to pull out all the stops to ensure LIV has that same level of growth in the future.

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Phil Mickelson excited about LIV's future

Just a few years ago, LIV Golf wasn't even a tour. Now, it's one of the biggest in the world. In just a short period of time, they've grown a lot. Phil Mickelson believes the next five or 10 years will see that many times over, saying he is "bullish and excited" about it.

Phil Mickelson is excited for the future

Mickelson did go on to admit there's some uncertainty with it all. LIV could just as soon fade into oblivion as much as it could completely redefine the sport.

Phil Mickelson believes the players will get better and that fans will be more excited than ever about what the tour and the sport are doing. He said (via Golf Monthly):

"We'll be going to more countries outside of the United States that really are starving for world-class professional golf, and we'll have a lot more receptions like we had at Adelaide."

Whether or not any of this will come to fruition remains to be seen, but Mickelson is as excited about it as anybody.