Phil Mickelson was the last big name to join the 48-man course for the LIV Golf Invitational starting Friday outside London. It will be the first time Mickelson has played since February 6 at the Saudi International.The Canadian Press
Phil Mickelson, a Saudi Arabian-funded top league recruiter on the PGA Tour, is ending his four-month hiatus by adding his name to the 48-person course for the LIV Golf Invitational, which begins outside London on Friday. .
Mickelson will join Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and three other former major champions in a 54-hole tournament at Centurion Golf Club with $ 25 million in prizes and $ 4 million for the individual winner.
“I’m ready to play the game I love again, but after 32 years this new path is a new beginning, which is exciting for me at this stage of my career,” Mickelson said in a statement. the social networks.
Mickelson also said he would play the last two seniors, starting June 16 at the U.S. Open at the Country Club outside Boston.
He said the new “transformative” league would allow him to focus on a healthier approach to life on and off the field. Mickelson did not mention the signing fee, which is likely to be all the $ 125 million or more reportedly paid to Johnson.
It will be the first time Mickelson has played since Feb. 6 at Saudi International, where he began to draw attention to how he bowed when he accused the PGA Tour of “hateful greed” in an interview with Golf Digest.
Two weeks later, Alan Shipnuck published excerpts from his unauthorized biography of Mickelson in which the six-time grand slam champion acknowledged the human rights atrocities in Saudi Arabia, including the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. but he said it was worth getting involved in if he wanted to win. leverage to make changes to the PGA Tour.
Mickelson also said he and three other prominent players paid lawyers to write the new league’s running deal. He later apologized for what he said were reckless comments, not to mention the PGA Tour.
But then he was out of sight for four months, skipping the Masters and PGA Championship, which he had won the year before at age 50 to become the oldest grand champion in history.
Mickelson again apologized in Monday’s statement, adding that he “empathizes” with those who disagree with his decision to leave the PGA Tour for a league funded primarily by the Public Investment Fund in Saudi Arabia.
“His contributions to the sport and his connection to fans around the world cannot be overstated and we are grateful to have him,” said Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf Investments. “It strengthens an exciting course for London where we are proud to usher in a new era for golf.”
The PGA Tour did not grant releases to any of its 14 members who have signed up for the rival series, a list that also includes Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer and Charl Schwartzel.
Five more Asian Tour players were added as exemptions.
Although Mickelson was the leader in trying to get players to join, his name was left out of the original field list that was released on Tuesday. The Daily Telegraph reported that Johnson, the No. 15 ranked player in the world, received more than $ 125 million to join.
The decision will likely mean the end of Mickelson’s career on the PGA Tour so that defective players will likely face suspensions for violating tour regulations by playing abroad without a permit.
Mickelson has 45 PGA Tour victories and has amassed nearly $ 100 million in winnings in the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. He won his first touring event in 1991 when he was a fan of Arizona State and his most recent title last year at the PGA.
The LIV Golf Invitational is the first of eight such tournaments, with five of them scheduled for the United States, two of them on fields owned by former President Donald Trump.
At least six players on the field have already given up their PGA Tour memberships. Kevin Na announced his decision on social media. Garcia’s manager, Oosthuizen, Schwartzel and Branden Grace said they have also resigned.
As much as he was promoting a new concept, it seemed that Mickelson was the one who caused the Saudi league to lose momentum with his interviews in February that despised the Saudis (“scary mother- (implements)”) and the PGA Tour (” The dictatorship. They are divided and defeated. “)
All of the top players, including Johnson, initially pledged their support for the PGA Tour. Johnson later changed his mind.