Brandel Chamblee has reignited his long-running criticism of LIV Golf, turning his attention to Phil Mickelson and the confidence the six-time major champion once showed in the breakaway league’s long-term ambitions.

With LIV Golf’s future now in doubt following the collapse of its proposed new era, the Golf Channel analyst has revisited Mickelson’s comments from 2023, questioning whether the American’s bold prediction ever had a realistic chance of becoming reality.

Mickelson was among the biggest names to join LIV Golf when it launched, quickly becoming one of the league’s most prominent defenders. He regularly pushed back against criticism and insisted that the breakaway tour was pursuing a much bigger strategy than many people understood.

In October 2023, Mickelson took to X to respond to criticism surrounding LIV Golf’s position on Official World Golf Ranking points. He made it clear that he was not concerned about the league receiving ranking points, describing its strategy as part of a much longer game.

“Stating facts isn’t whining and I don’t care if LIV ever gets points. This is move 6 in a long game of chess. You won’t believe moves 32-37. That’s when it gets REALLY good,” Mickelson wrote.

Those comments have now come back into focus, with Chamblee using them to question the confidence Mickelson had in LIV Golf’s plans.

Chamblee questions Mickelson’s LIV Golf prediction

Speaking on Golf Channel, Chamblee did not hold back when discussing the former Masters champion’s chess analogy.

“The arrogance, Phil Mickelson had a tweet where he said ‘this is a chess move’… portending some ominous event into the future that was gonna devastate the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. As we know, it did not happen,” Chamblee said.

His criticism comes as LIV Golf’s proposed next phase, referred to as LIV 2.0, has failed to secure the cooperation and financial commitments required to move forward.

Chamblee also questioned the demands made by players and their representatives during discussions about the league’s future. According to the analyst, the financial expectations were beyond what the proposed structure could support.

“You can point the finger at a lot of places here, but in order for it to have gone forward, you needed some cooperation from whatever players were going to make up this LIV 2.0,” he said.

“The players and player representatives, from what I’ve read, were making financial demands that could not be met.”

Chamblee questions LIV players’ belief in the project

The Golf Channel analyst also revisited the issue of player ownership, questioning why some of LIV Golf’s biggest names were reportedly reluctant to accept ownership stakes as part of the proposed new structure.

Chamblee suggested that the players had developed an inflated view of their commercial value, making it difficult for negotiations to reach an agreement.

“They all thought that they were beachfront property in Malibu, and the market was telling them, no, you’re timeshares in Toledo,” he added.

His comments echo his previous criticism of LIV players and the financial expectations surrounding the league’s attempt to establish a more sustainable business model.

The situation leaves several prominent LIV Golf players facing uncertainty as they consider their options heading into 2027.

Mickelson’s own situation has also attracted attention. The American has not competed since March 2026 because of what has been described as an ongoing family health issue, leaving further questions about his playing future.

For Chamblee, however, the focus remains on Mickelson’s earlier confidence in LIV Golf’s long-term strategy. The analyst believes the league’s current difficulties have given fresh significance to the comments the six-time major champion made three years ago.

The chess game Mickelson once described has not unfolded as he predicted, and Chamblee has made it clear that he has not forgotten those remarks.