Mickelson: LIV Golf, PGA TOUR need to 'come together'

If Phil Mickelson had it his way, the LIV Golf Invitational Series and the PGA TOUR would be allies, not rivals.

"The best solution is for us to come together," Mickelson said Friday, according to Reuters. "I think that the world of professional golf has a need for the old historical 'history of the game' product that the PGA TOUR provides. I think that LIV provides a really cool, updated feel that is attracting a lot of younger crowds."

The Saudi-backed golf league has poached several of the PGA TOUR's top golfers, including Mickelson, since it launched last October.

"The PGA TOUR, for the last 20 or 30 years, have had all the best players in the world," he said. "That will never be the case again. LIV Golf is here to stay."

He added, "Both are good for the game of golf, and the inclusion of LIV Golf in the ecosystem of the golf world is necessary. As soon as that happens, we all start working together. It's going to be a really positive thing for everyone."

Players who joined LIV Golf are no longer eligible for any PGA TOUR events. LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said he tried "awfully hard" to communicate with PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan over the past year but to no avail.

"We have no interest in sitting down with them, to be honest with you, because our product is working," Norman added.

Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson, Bryson DeChambeau, and world No. 3 Cameron Smith are among the other high-profile former TOUR stars who've joined LIV Golf.