Mickelson: Switch to SGL would be fuelled by TOUR's 'obnoxious greed'

Phil Mickelson doesn't know what lies ahead for his golf career, but if he decides to jump to the Saudi-backed Super Golf League, he's got his reasons.

The 51-year-old is one of several of the world's top players targeted by the breakaway league. Mickelson blasted the PGA TOUR's control of media rights as a key reason why he'd strongly consider a move.

"There are many issues, but that is one of the biggest," Mickelson told Golf Digest's John Huggan.

"For me personally, it's not enough that they are sitting on hundreds of millions of digital moments. They also have access to my shots, access I do not have. They also charge companies to use shots I have hit. And when I did 'The Match' - there have been five of them - the tour forced me to pay them $1 million each time. For my own media rights. That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious."

The PGA TOUR has reportedly threatened to impose lifetime bans for events and bar participation in the Ryder Cup for players who join the prospective rival circuit.

Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson are among the players to have commented on the SGL's contracts offers. Poulter was reportedly offered £22 million to ditch his Ryder Cup reputation, while Johnson said he was unable to disclose the terms of his proposal.

"My ultimate loyalty is to the game of golf and what it has given me," Mickelson said. "I am so appreciative of the life it has provided. ... I don't know where things are headed, but I know I will be criticized. That's not my concern. All that would do is dumb down one of the most intricate issues in sports. It would be so naive to not factor in all of the complexities.

"The media rights are but a small fraction of everything else. And it is the TOUR's obnoxious greed that has really opened the door for opportunities elsewhere."

Mickelson did say there is a scenario where he closes the book on his golf career entirely.

"If I win the U.S. Open, I will retire," he said. "That would be my last tournament. I will have achieved the career Grand Slam, and I won't have anything more to prove."

Mickelson has been the runner-up at the U.S. Open six times. He won his first major since 2013 last season at the PGA Championship.