Mickelson's response, as well as to besmirch the reputation of a journalist by claiming he'd been speaking off the record, was to apologise. Reading it again, it's difficult to tell exactly to whom this mea culpa was directed: the PGA Tour and Jay Monahan, or LIV Golf and Greg Norman.
"I used words I sincerely regret that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions," , without telling us whether he means he doesn't think the Saudis are bad dudes or whether he thinks the PGA Tour is coercive, or both. "It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words. I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."
Perhaps most intriguing, however, were the broader reflections Mickelson made. Whether contrite or not, they rather seem like a trap laid for himself.
"I have often failed myself and others too," he added. "The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level. I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritize the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be."
Was he sincerely acknowledging deep-rooted personal issues which demanded time away from the sport? Or was this a ruse to hide a PGA Tour suspension, the like of which the organisation famously does not confirm? When rumblings of PGA Tour suspensions do emerge, they often refer to a time period of three months. It's been just over that long since we saw him in action.
If Mickelson is indeed suffering from personal problems, he should be supported in his battle – the kind of support the PGA Tour has often been generous with. As for being the man he wants to be, we'll soon find out whether that still extends to accepting huge sums of money from those people he described in damning terms. Whatever your view, whatever mine, it doesn't matter: we know what Mickelson thinks of the House of Saud, we know he knows they're providing the money as Greg Norman provides the face, and we know he says he's intent on becoming a better person. He said all of this himself.
Mickelson might maintain that his ambitions relate to improving working conditions on the PGA Tour, but that simply will not wash. He faces a choice which may go some way to shaping his legacy, and indications from the LIV Golf side of this saga suggest that he remains intent on risking PGA Tour sanctions by playing in their events, beginning this summer on the outskirts of London, days before the US Open.
There is of course another way Mickelson can materially alter his legacy, and that's by winning the only major he's yet to win. Those are the terms here, writ large: take the money and compromise US Open preparations to boot, perhaps even risking his place in the field at Brookline. Or complete a volte-face that could blow Saudi Arabia's ambitions in this sport apart, doing more to strengthen the PGA Tour and its future than any amount of bad money ever could.
We now know we won't get answers during the PGA Championship, as the biggest enigma in the sport stays away from a title defence he earned with one of the most miraculous major victories this sport has seen. He ought to be here; he ought to be able to revel in retelling the story of how he, weeks short of his 51st birthday, outthought, outhit, outplayed Brooks Koepka. Instead, it seems likely we'll next see him in a LIV Golf event streamed on YouTube, where he'll play for nothing but money. What a shame that is.
Of course he can. This looks a really good course for Spieth, whose approach play has always been a major strength, and who can dazzle around the greens. Right now, he's even driving the ball to a high standard so while there are those who've questioned his new pre-shot routine, and the work he did to prepare for this year which included some pretty significant swing changes, there is absolutely no doubt he has everything nicely bedded in.
In fact, Spieth's tee-to-green display in winning the RBC Heritage in April ranks among the very best of his career, and he won that tournament despite putting poorly. Yes, there was a good chunk of fortune involved as others stepped aside, but he struck the ball to a level which really ought to be rewarded with silverware. If he does that again, it would only require a good, unspectacular putting week for him to dominate a tournament. Something like that he produced when finishing second in the Byron Nelson.
Missing short putts – not just that, but looking like you're going to miss short putts – has to remain a concern, especially in this environment. No player, not even a three-time major winner and former world number one, is immune to major pressure, and it's intensified by the situation Spieth finds himself in. Victory here would put him in golf's most elite company and that's something he'd have to battle down the stretch on Sunday.
But it's a good course for him, it really is, and Spieth has already played it at its more fearsome, in a practice round which saw winds blow up to 35mph. Those major wins in 2015 and 2017 were all preceded by PGA Tour victories, and he comes here having won and finished second since a disappointing Masters. Confidence is high once again. He's among the strongest candidates.
Woods faces a very different test to that which he conquered in 2007, and pithily remarked during Sunday's practice round that he doesn't approve of any course that's been lengthened. That's a reference to both the fact that he's no longer among the most powerful players in the sport, and that every extra yard is another step for his ailing body to have to complete.
It was remarkable that he managed to play all four rounds in the Masters, starting brightly only to fade and finish 47th of the 52 who made the cut. There's surely no other player in the game who would've been able to win that battle of body and mind as he did – and make no mistake, even the man who made winning everything will know that this was a victory. Woods, remember, might've lost a limb little more than a year ago. Many believed we'd seen the last of him as a competitor.
So what to expect now? On the one hand, Southern Hills is an easier walk, though not an easy walk, and significantly warmer temperatures ought to help him to a degree. On the other, the humidity of Tulsa and the fact he's still very much undercooked suggest that it's asking too much to believe Woods might play a significant part in the outcome of this tournament come the weekend.
Fundamentally, it is a course that should still suit Woods, perhaps even more so since Gil Hanse's restoration project was completed. He remains a brilliant iron player, and we should see more from his short-game than we did at Augusta. Strong winds which are forecast might further tip the scales towards those, like him, who've got years' worth of experience, who have won events like the Open Championship.
That event, held this year at St Andrews, his favourite course on Earth, remains Woods' target. In the meantime, Southern Hills gives him another irresistible opportunity to show us all how tough he is; how much he can draw from his battered body, supported by the sport's strongest mind. Whatever he does, however he scores, Woods will be as committed as anyone. But just as was the case at Augusta, he may not yet truly believe he can win major number 16.
Briefly during the Masters, Woods did make us believe again. Such is his power. Something similar – a strong start, flashes of genius – would be a fine way for this championship to begin.