The Saudi-backed LIV Golf series has been lining up some decent names in recent days for its big London debut in June. Now, however, the tour has its first superstar.
Phil Mickelson has officially decided to play in the tournament, which takes place June 9-11. It will be the first golf tournament that he’s played in since Feb. 6 when he competed in the Saudi International.
Mickelson made waves in February when he blasted the PGA and supported the LIV Golf series, hand-waving away the human rights violations and state-sanctioned murders by the Saudi government. After catching tons of heat over his comments, Mickelson exiled himself from the sport, missing the Masters and PGA Championship.
While he had applied to take part in the LIV Golf tournament, the assumption was that he might back away given that the PGA Tour threatened to ban anyone who played for the rival league. However, it appears that Mickelson has made his bed and will deal with the fallout.
Plenty of Phil’s fellow golfers, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, have spoken about Phil’s comments and a potential move to LIV, and it will be fascinating to see what everyone says now.
According to the New York Post, it’s not known how much money Mickelson is getting but “negotiations between LIV Golf and Mickelson’s camp had been ongoing and there was a point last week that LIV believed Mickelson was on board.” Mickelson is said to have lost stunning amounts of money through gambling over the years and this kind of payday could be exactly what he’s needed.
As the details start to trickle in, the golf world is reacting to the news that Mickelson is officially playing for the LIV Golf series and what that might mean for his PGA future and legacy.
Three months ago, the PGA Tour paid Phil Mickelson $6 million and Dustin Johnson $3 million as part of the Player Impact Program. Now they've both essentially left the tour behind for LIV Golf.
Money talks. The more money, the louder it talks.
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) June 6, 2022
Didn't realize how much fun it will be to log on whatever Liv Golf dotcom is to watch Phil Mickelson limp to a +9 finish with three dozen people in the gallery will be.
— Kyle Koster (@KyleKoster) June 6, 2022
Congrats to everyone who gambles against Phil Mickelson; big pay day for them. https://t.co/WBSwQRixSs
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) June 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/ChrisCillizza/status/1533887852932739072
Historian, distant future:
"Phil Mickelson, 51 at the time, eschewed a historic title defense at the PGA Championship, instead returning to golf by way of a new event series funded by the government of Saudi Arabia. DJ Fat Tony, Jessie J and others were on hand." https://t.co/V7aouzJe98
— D.J. Piehowski (@DJPie) June 6, 2022
[NY Post]
