‘You went for the money’ – Butch Harmon demands honesty from LIV Golf players, defends Phil Mickelson

Butch Harmon has leapt to the defence of Phil Mickelson, but said players who defected to LIV Golf should be honest and say they moved for the money.

Mickelson was the first high-profile player to join the Saudi-funded series, with the six-time major winner reportedly lured across by a contract in the region of $200 million.

Mickelson has been joined by the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia.

Few have acknowledged the decision was down to money, with some saying they were attracted by the 54-hole format, reduced schedule or the chance to grow the game.

Players who have come out with those reasons have been widely condemned, and legendary coach Harmon is in that bracket.

“So to me that’s the first problem – I think the PR of the LIV has not been good. The guys should have got together and be honest. This ‘I’m going to grow the game better’ – no, that has nothing to do with it; you’re not growing any game. They’re growing their bank accounts. Which every sportsman has the right to do – to get the best deal you can get.

“So I have a problem with people complaining about that. But I think they brought that on themselves by coming up with this other stuff.”

Mickelson has taken the brunt of the criticism, but Harmon feels he is paying the price for his honesty and should be forgiven.

“Well, Phil’s very honest,” Harmon said. “I mean, he’s got no filter. It’s one of the things I admire about him, one of the reasons we were friends, because I got a lot of that in myself, too. What we think is what we say. And I think, in all honesty, I’m going to give Phil some credit.

“People didn’t like it, but a lot of the things he said about the Tour I think were true. And I think the Tour is now seeing that and they’re trying to change a lot of that stuff.

“So you got to hand it to Phil for that. He has taken a tremendous amount of criticism for it. You know there’s things that have come out about him and his personal life that he hasn’t done, and look, hey, we all make mistakes; nobody’s perfect, all right.

“We all make mistakes; there’s things in our past that I think bygones should be bygones.”