Former LIV Golf star James Piot has hailed the impact of his HyFlyers captain Phil Mickelson, despite his time with the breakaway league coming to an end last month.
Piot was relegated from the LIV setup alongside Chase Koepka, Sihwan Kim and Jediah Morgan following the end of the 2023 campaign in Jeddah. The former U.S. Amateur champion worked alongside LIV poster boy Mickelson, as well as fellow Americans Cameron Tringale and Brendan Steele as part of the HyFlyers.
On an individual front, it proved to be a tough year for the 25-year-old which of course ended in relegation, but despite his struggles, Piot only had kind words for his six-time major-winning captain.
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“Phil was great to me last year, anything that I had a question about he was always happy to help and give me advice," Piot said whilst competing at the BNI Indonesian Masters on the Asian Tour's International Series. "Even when I was sitting there hitting balls he was like ‘hey man have you ever thought about this?’
"And stuff like that which is over and beyond what I expected out of him." In 13 LIV events in 2023 Piot failed to break into the top 20, with his best performance coming at LIV Greenbrier in August where he finished in 22nd. The American's time with the LIV setup came to an end after competing in the breakaway league's opening two seasons in 2022 and 2023.
The former U.S. Amateur champion made the decision to join the Saudi-backed series in his first year as a professional, and on the back of his relegation had nothing but kind words for Greg Norman and co. "Obviously LIV is world class; no one treats you better than the LIV Golf League," he said.
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Despite his relegation, Piot will have the chance to return to LIV in 2024 via its first-ever qualifying school. LIV Golf Promotions takes place over three days in December, and the top three finishers across 72 holes will earn a spot on the breakaway circuit next year. One man who is hoping to break into that top three is Piot.
He added: "It was amazing how well they treat the players and how much you enjoy the tour so I would obviously love to get back there.” A second route back is via the Asian Tour's International Series, with Andy Ogletree taking advantage of the pathway this time around.
Hailing the opportunity on offer to those competing, he commented: "Obviously, the Asian Tour is phenomenal - the events are run great. You get to see the world, you get to go to some cool places so I’ve loved it being out here and on top of it the competition level is top class, so having that ability to earn your way to LIV through the Asian Tour is a fantastic opportunity for all guys out there.”
