Forecast for the Masters: Water, Water Everywhere

Phil Mickelson approached the first tee to begin his opening round at the Masters on Thursday just as Tiger Woods was making the turn from the front nine to the back nine about 40 feet away. Almost all eyes were on Woods, but once he had walked onto the 10th tee, several hundred fans diverted their attention to Mickelson.

When he was introduced, Mickelson received muted applause, the kind produced by no more than 20 sets of hands. It was nothing like the enthusiastic ovations and zealous cheers Mickelson would have heard two years ago, when he last appeared at the Masters. In 2022, ahead of joining the LIV Golf tour, Mickelson took a leave of absence from competitive golf, including the Masters, which he has won three times.

Thursday, after Mickelson hit his opening shot toward the first fairway, there was again very faint clapping. Mickelson, like most if not all of the LIV-affiliated golfers at this year’s Masters, was largely being given something akin to the silent treatment. As he walked off the tee toward his ball, three young men called out in unison, “Let’s go, Phil.” No one else in the gallery joined in, and Mickelson walked through a corridor of fans who stared at him but hardly made a sound.

All around Augusta National this week, LIV golfers have not been shunned, and if there has been heckling, it has been rare or muffled. Augusta National galleries are nothing if not polite. But in a quiet way, it has also been a crowd that has seemed eager not to endorse those who defected to LIV.

— Bill Pennington

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/sports/golf/masters-weather-weir-mickelson-zalatoris.html