“They have their heads turned towards the PGA”: Niemann and Mito take sides in the preview of the US Open, the major which will bring together rebels and officials

The US Open which starts this Thursday June 16 will not be just any major. And it is that unwittingly, the event that will take place in Brookline, Massachusetts, will be the first tournament that brings together rebels and traditionalists . The first date PGA Defenders must see their faces in newborn LIV Golf crests. In the first group will be Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia. In the other Rahm, Justin Thomas, Mito and Niemann.

A meeting which is mainly explained by the fact that the majors are independent of the PGA, thus rendering worthless the suspension that the North American tour had announced against players who agree to play in the Saudi super league. In this way These four tournaments seem to be the only examples in which we will see the two aspects that define golf today collide.

The meeting will take place in a place steeped in history. An emblematic course of the Tour and which had already hosted the US Open three other times, including that of 1913. It is even one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association (USGA). There Jon Rahm will seek to revalidate his title and there too the word “LIV Golf” will be present throughout the week, despite the fact that some have asked to stop it.

That’s why in this strange time in golf, it’s hard not to think about the Chileans… Where are Mito and Niemann in this fight? Are they thinking about a possible invitation to the petrodollar league? Will there be an offer? Doubts to which Eduardo Miquel, coach of both, responds directly.

“No, nothing so far. The head is fixed on the PGA Tour, so there is no such news “, he commented to El Deportivo, from the United States, in a small conversation where he also had time to talk about the third major of the year and the moment of the Chileans facing this challenge.

“The most important thing in major courses is to have patience and a good strategy. Obviously hitting the ball well rewards a lot and in the case of those who are teen green players they have some advantage on difficult pitches adds Miquel, who also spoke about this particular tournament for Mito, after his third-place finish at the PGA Championship recently.

“He played well, he is motivated, but for Mito, all tournaments have the same importance. He starts on the Tour and every week he tries to give the best of himself. This will be another week of trying to do the best he can. “, he concludes.

The Chileans will play this Thursday the first round of the major. Niemann will appear alongside Cameron Young and Will Zalatoris. Mito for his part will do so with Sungjae Im and Erik van Rooyen.

Although the Chileans have their minds exclusively on the PGA, there are other players who, despite this intention, cannot help but talk about LIV Golf. It happens to Justin Thomas. The current PGA Championship winner was annoyed by the constant questions about the Saudi league during the press conference, saying even he felt it was not “was ok for the US Open ”.

“It’s the US Open, it’s an incredible place, a place with so much history, an incredible journey, so many stories, and yet it seems like all the questions revolve around that. This is not correct for the US Open. It’s not good for us… The fact that things like this can hurt some people leaving the PGA is just sad. There really is no other way to say it. It just makes me sad” commented the winner of two majors and world number five.

Players who will arrive with the label of “deserters” are not rare and obviously they are constantly solicited in press conferences. The one who received the most spotlight is, without a doubt, Phil Mickelson. “Lefty” is the biggest attraction in the new league and his participation in the US Open was the first opportunity to see him in a tournament on North American soil in a long time.

This is why the journalists’ questions were very focused on their situation, going so far as to discuss the strong feedback from families of 9/11 victims for their participation in a tournament sponsored by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (FIP).

And it is that in recent weeks communications have been made public in which relatives of the deceased criticized golfers for supporting a government that with these events was trying to clean up its image due to its involvement in the attacks on the twin towers. Although Mickelson avoided answering at first, he was asked about the same thing twice and ended up just saying “I have deep empathy for all the victims of the attack and their families.” This is the level of tension reached by the situation at the US Open.

Remember that in addition to Phil Mickelson, some LIV Golf competitors who will be at Brookline are Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Kevin Na, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and Martin Kaymer . In total, 14 rebels will seek the trophy around Boston.