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Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka are two of the most high-profile golfers to have defected from the PGA Tour into LIV Golf. They have headlined the league and are essentially on the same team since they're both members of the up-and-coming league trying to disrupt the status quo.
However, even they couldn't resist bantering back and forth in a savage manner, with Mickelson teasing Koepka and vice versa. This comes ahead of the LIV Golf Team Championship, where a hefty prize pool of nearly $50 million is at stake.
Mickelson's team is an underdog in the event, with odds of about +1800 to win. Conversely, Koepka's team has better odds, though they're not the favorite. They have odds of +850.
Being the captain of the top-seeded team, Koepka can choose his second-round opponent, and he has been considering Mickelson's team.
Mickelson invited him to do so, saying it could be a rematch of the 2021 PGA Championship, where Koepka fell to Mickelson by two shots.
Koepka said, according to Mirror:
"If you want to play, we can play but, I don't know if you know this cause you've never been No.1 in the world but if you finish at the end of the year they give you a little trophy so I got two of those, I'll bring one to show you."
Mickelson's response may have won the whole dispute:
"That's a beautiful green shirt, do you have a green jacket?"
His opponent has never won the Masters, though he placed second in 2019 behind Tiger Woods. Undeterred, Koepka spat back at Mickelson:
"I do not, but I will don't worry."
The competition officially kicks off on October 28 and runs through October 30.
Whose team will win in the LIV Team Championship? Brooks Koepka or Phil Mickelson?
Anything can happen in a tournament like this, but the oddsmakers seem to like Smash, Koepka's team, more than Hy Flyers, who are captained by Mickelson.
Bovada has Hy Flyers with a middle-of-the-road chance, while Smash have significantly better odds:
- 4 Aces +187
- Crushers +375
- Fire Balls +400
- Smash +850
- Stinger +850
- Punch +1400
- Hy Flyers +1800
Draft Kings is even more convinced of Hy Flyers' underdog status:
- 4 Aces +175
- Crushers +350
- Fire Balls +400
- Smash +800
- Stinger +900
- Punch +1400
- Hy Flyers +2000
However, there is no real substitute for experience, and Mickelson has that. As he mentioned, he's won the Masters and many other tournaments, so he knows what it takes to win.
His teammates may have to step it up, though. The team includes Bernd Wiesberger, Matthew Wolff, and Cameron Tringale. Conversely, Smash have Koepka as their captain, along with Jason Kokrak, Peter Uihlein, and the captain's brother, Chase Koepka.
Over a few days of golf, anyone can have an exceptional round, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the veteran Mickelson, also known as Lefty, make a run for the title in this tournament.
