Rahm perplexed by Mickelson's 'TOUR trending downwards' comment

Phil Mickelson's most recent controversial comments have reached Jon Rahm, and the Spaniard seems baffled by what the six-time major champion had to say.

Ahead of last week's LIV Jeddah event, Mickelson said he saw Greg Norman's Saudi-backed league trending upward while the PGA TOUR was heading in the opposite direction. The 52-year-old added that he believed he chose the "winning" side between the two leagues.

"Man, I love Phil, but I don't know what he's talking about. I really, really don't know why he said that," Rahm told reporters Tuesday, including Golfweek's Adam Schupak.

Rahm added, "There's been some changes being made, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going down, right?"

On Tuesday, Golfweek's Eamon Lynch reported that the Phoenix Open, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship, and Travelers Championship would be added to the list of elevated events on TOUR for the 2023 season.

That would increase the list of elevated tournaments to 12, which will all feature the TOUR's top players and - with the exception of the Sentry Tournament of Champions - will contain purses of at least $20 million. In addition to The Players Championship and the four majors, the TOUR's top stars are set to play together 17 times in 2023.

On Thursday, Rahm will tee off at Congaree Golf Club for the first round of The CJ Cup. It will be his first event of the 2022-23 TOUR season after winning on the DP World Tour earlier this month.