Phil Mickelson breaks silence on Grant Horvat declining to compete at the Barracuda Championship

Phil Mickelson recently reacted to everything going on with Grant Horvat and the PGA Tour. In short, the tour invited Horvat to play at the Barracuda Championship, but Horvat declined the offer. Mickelson responded to the matter during the Open Championship Preview press conference, arguing that the YouTuber did not miss out on a chance.

Horvat published a two-minute video on his YouTube page describing what has been on his mind. The YouTuber clarified things by stating:

"So the reason I will not be playing in a PGA TOUR event is due to the rules and regulations around meteorites and filming during tournament play of a PGA TOUR event. And basically that means I was not going to be allowed to film my round during tournament play."

During the Open Championship Preview conference, Phil Mickelson was asked to provide his thoughts on whether or not Grant Horvat had lost an opportunity. The veteran golfer noted:

"I'm not going to go into the weeds on that. I just really like him."

Horvat claimed that his withdrawal was solely due to the PGA Tour's rules and regulations. They do not allow any form of content creation throughout the event, thus Horvat does not want to participate. For this decision, Horvat has received support from Wesley Bryan, who is also a suspended golfer on the PGA Tour.

---

Phil Mickelson appreciates playing golf alongside Grant Horvat

LIV Golf Miami - Previews - Source: Getty

Phil Mickelson and Grant Horvat have a mutual respect for each other. The two have also collaborated in a YouTube video for Horvat's channel, in which they team up to take on other players such as Bryson DeChambeau. The video received a lot of attention from fans, and Mickelson praised Horvat's skill, declaring him to be a fantastic partner.

When asked what he thinks about Grant Horvat, Mickelson stated that Horvat has been a big supporter of him. Mickelson noted that the YouTube community is something he is unfamiliar with, but Horvat has helped him grow in it. Mickelson not only thanked Horvat but also DeChambeau for his assistance. The 6-time golf Major winner commented (via the aforementioned source),

"I’ve really enjoyed playing my matches with Grant. He’s the nicest guy, and he’s been very helpful for me to kind of get into the YouTube space, a space that I don’t really know a lot about. I’m starting to learn — I’m learning from him. I’m learning from Bryson. They’ve been both very, very helpful."

After his first round at the Open Championship, Phil Mickelson was able to shoot a total score of 70, which is one under par. As of this writing, he is tied for 19th place.