Phil Mickelson act comes to light after awkward Masters dinner

All eyes were on the Champions Dinner at the Masters this year with LIV golfers returning for the first time since the split and Phil Mickelson was at the centre of attention. As tradition dictates, a number of former Masters champions are invited to the inaugural dinner before play starts.

All former winners that are invited are asked to wear their green jacket, which they won at Augusta. This year, the famous sports dinner reunited LIV golfers with their former allies for the first time at Augusta since the bitter feud between the two franchises erupted last year.

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Many golfers from both sides have played down the bitter tension between players with Bubba Watson recently claiming it was only in the media. Aussie golfer Cameron Smith claimed he received a warm reception upon his return to Augusta.

But all eyes were on Mickelson at the Champions Dinner since he led the player exit for the Greg Norman-run LIV Golf tournament. There were five other former Masters champions that have joined LIV Golf, including Watson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel and and Dustin Johnson.

However, two former champions noticed Mickelson was very quiet during the dinner as he sat on the end of the table. "We’re just 33 past champions in a room, all trying to get along,” Fuzzy Zoeller, who won the Masters in 1979, told the Augusta Chronicle.

“Nobody said a word about it. Phil sat near the end of the table and kept to himself. He didn’t speak at all.”

And he wasn't the only one who noted that Mickelson was quiet. “I wished him good luck, but I couldn’t believe how quiet he was. Phil took a very low profile. He didn’t say a word," 1973 Masters winner Tommy Aaron said.

And LIV wasn't mentioned according to those at the dinner. “Couples spoke a lot, but didn’t mention LIV at all,” Aaron said. “I sat next to Freddie, and he and Ray Floyd kept trying to figure out how many champions had come out of the final group.”

Golf community take notice of Masters dinner photo

The reigning champion, Scottie Scheffler, gets to pick the menu for the other participants and the Texan went with a simple menu. Cheeseburger sliders kick-started dinner, alongside firecracker shrimp and tortilla soup.

Texas ribeye steak and blackened redfish rounded off the mains with a warm chocolate chip cookie for desert. And while the menu seemed laidback, many in the golf community couldn't go past the photo taken of the winners.

Many couldn't help but make a joke at the perceived tension in the room after the Masters released the photo of the six LIV Golf players in the dinner portrait before the meal.

The PGA Tour is involved in an anti-trust lawsuit with LIV Golf and a handful of players who were suspended for playing on the Saudi-funded circuit. The Saudi government is believed to have poured $3 billion into the breakaway league, headed up by Aussie legend Norman.

Aussie star Cameron Smith, arguably the face of the LIV Golf movement, will head a field of 18 breakaway players taking part in the Masters. Smith said he pleasantly surprised to be embraced back into the fold at Augusta on Monday.

"I spent probably an hour out on the range already this afternoon. It was good to see some familiar faces. Lots of laughs and lots of handshakes, smiles and hugs," Smith said.

"It was really nice. I really wasn't sure what I was going to expect walking on to the range. I was just kind of letting it all happen naturally. Went out on to the range and did my stuff, did my work and, yeah, it was just a really nice experience.

"I kind of wanted that, not only for myself but just for the game of golf "There's a lot of stuff going on at the moment that doesn't need to be going on, especially in the media. I think it's definitely wound up a little bit too much.

"There's too much rubbish going on, basically. I don't think there's any kind of hatred going on between the players. We are all happy where we are, and I'm just as happy for the guys winning out on the PGA Tour as I am for the LIV golfers, as well."

with AAP

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