Phil Mickelson has always been one of the most outspoken players on the professional golf scene.

It goes without saying that Mickelson is one of the greatest golfers of all time, but it’s fair to say that he’s one of the most controversial as well.

The 55-year-old played a lead role in the inception of LIV Golf and he was one of the biggest names to jump ship from the PGA Tour back in 2022.

How will history reflect on Phil Mickelson?

Golf’s most polarising player?

It’s a tricky one. Mickelson came close to destroying his legacy during the start of LIV. But I feel like feelings have generally softened a bit. He will go down as a Hall of Famer but, perhaps, not one of the more popular ones.

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Mickelson, a six-time major winner, never shies away from giving his opinions on his fellow pros, and he is very outspoken when it comes to his politics as well.

Back in March, Mickelson made himself look silly when he predicted Scottie Scheffler would not win before the Ryder Cup in September.

Phil Mickelson responds to Brandel Chamblee’s Players Championship claim

Last week, Brandel Chamblee made a seriously bold claim about The Players Championship.

Chamblee suggested that The Players is more prestigious than any of the four major championships.

“When you look at the Players Championship, with all due respect to the other four major championships, it is the best field in golf. It is the deepest field in golf,“ the former PGA Tour pro insisted.

“And by virtue of the fact that only one person in its 50 year history has managed to successfully defend it, I would argue that it is the hardest major championship to win.

“All the others have had far surpassing numbers of those successfully defending it.“

Mickelson insisted that Chamblee’s Players Championship claim was incorrect due to the fact that the field at TPC Sawgrass is no longer the strongest in golf.

“I believe Puig is top 10 in the world as I believe Bryson Rahm and Jaoco are too.

“You can’t prohibit 4 of the top 10 and be considered a major. That’s just reality. The PGA Tour only owns a few events on Tour, The Players is one, but are slowly acquiring more.

“If they wanted to build value for their own asset, allowing LIV players would greatly increase the interest, exposure, and commercial value.

“However, the egos of many of the members won’t allow for that to happen and that continues to hold them back from growing the value of the SSG investment.“

Phil Mickelson’s David Puig claim was beyond absurd

It’s more than fair to suggest that Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are two of the best 10 golfers in the world.

It’s also true that The Players Championship no longer has the strongest field in the professional game.

However, Mickelson naming Joaquin Niemann as a top-10 player is very much up for debate.

And then the 45-time PGA Tour winner’s claim about Puig was quite frankly ridiculous.

The young Spaniard, 24, is quite clearly immensely talented. However, he only has three professional wins to his name – one on the DP World Tour and two on the Asian Tour.

His best finish at a major championship? A tie for 39th at the US Open in 2023.

Puig has done nothing to warrant being labeled as a top-10 player in the world, despite the incredible talent he has.

Perhaps Mickelson would have an argument about the Spaniard being a top-10 golfer in two or three years’ time if he’s won a few times and at least contended in some major championships.

Right now, though, Puig is nowhere near that level.

Phil Mickelson has made some ridiculous claims in the past, but his latest one about Puig and the Players Championship has to be right up there with the worst he’s ever made.