Lefty’s days competing on LIV may be numbered.
As with Tiger Woods and the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson may shift into an off-the-course role with LIV Golf.
“I see glimpses and my teammates see glimpses of me being where I expect to be able to compete at this level,” Mickelson said on a press call ahead of LIV’s Individual Championship at Bolingbrook Golf Club (Sept. 13-15). “But I’m also realistic with myself, and if I’m not able to I’ll step aside and let somebody come on in and take the HyFlyers to new levels.”
Mickelson has struggled with his form since joining LIV. Lefty finished 34th in the individual standings in 2022, 39th in 2023, and currently sits 44th. He has one top-10 in each year. The HyFlyers (Mickelson, Brendan Steele, Cameron Tringale, Andy Ogletree) have consistently placed bottom-eight.
Mickeklson did finish runner-up at the 2023 Masters and made the cuts at two majors in 2024.
“I’m in every major on the regular tour next year, and I’ll be in three of the four majors for the next six, seven years. I would love to compete and give myself a chance to win in those, and I also want to build this out and create a culture that is sustainable and that people strive to be a part of.
“How I do that, whether it’s internally as a player and so forth, or whether it’s strictly from the outside, I’m going to be intricately involved with the HyFlyers going forward probably the rest of my life, and then my playing career I’ll be realistic where I’m at, too.”
Phil’s longtime rival, Tiger, has faced similar realities as he navigates the twilight of his storied career. These days, the 48-year-old is primarily focused on the majors and growing the game as vice president of PGA Tour Enterprises. (The PGA Tour created a special exemption into future Signature Events for Tiger, but the 15-time major champ was noncommittal on taking advantage)
Mickelson is a six-time major champion, 45-time PGA Tour winner, and World Golf Hall of Famer. At the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, he became the oldest person in history to win a major.
Mickelson became one of the PGA Tour’s most vocal antagonists and the initial face of the disruptive Saudi-backed circuit when it launched. In 2022, Mickelson stirred controversy with outlandish remarks weighing the atrocities of the Saudi regime against an opportunity to leverage the PGA Tour.
Mickelson has quieted his tenor over the past year while remaining proudly supportive of LIV. Mickelson — whose name led an antitrust suit against the PGA Tour, and publicly championed the original framework agreement — now deflects when asked about a potential deal between LIV Golf’s backer, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia, and the PGA Tour.
“I’m not part of those conversations,” Lefty reiterated on Wednesday. “At 54, my schedule and my desires are going to be totally different than most of the players. So, bigger picture we have to do what’s best for the players on LIV and the best for the players throughout the game of golf and not just focus on a 54-year-old, so my desires aren’t really relevant.”
🚨😳⛳️ Rory McIlroy says he can’t believe the PGA TOUR has done so well for so long: “I think what LIV has done, it’s exposed the flaws in the system of what golf has, because we’re all supposed to be independent contractors and we can pick and choose what tournaments we want to… pic.twitter.com/jbUgqclwh5
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) January 3, 2024
Mickelson is ranked 220th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
LIV will culminate its third full season with events in Greenbrier (Aug. 16-18) and Bolingbrook (“LIV Chicago”) before the team championship in Dallas (Sept. 20-22).
In the meantime, Mickelson can help LIV buy Topgolf.
