Golf champion Phil Mickelson has been ostracized for his comments on Saudi Arabia, but has returned to be part of Greg Norman’s rebel league.
Phil Mickelson has confirmed that he has signed up to play in the lucrative Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf Invitational series.
The six-time main winner and winner of the PGA Championship 2021 has been confirmed on the field for the controversial opening event of the new tour in London this week.
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According to the New York PostMickelson has signed an agreement with LIV Golf worth 280 million Australian dollars.
“I’m ready to play the game I love again, but after 32 years this new path is a new beginning,” Mickelson wrote in a statement on Twitter.
Mickelson has not played since the comments were published in February in which he criticized the PGA Tour and the Saudi sponsors of LIV Golf, which is being led by Australian legend Greg Norman.
In an interview with author Alan Shipnuck, the 51-year-old golf star said the LIV Golf, funded by Saudi Arabia, was an opportunity to gain influence over the PGA Tour.
However, Mickelson described the new company’s Saudi sponsors as “scavengers” with a “horrible human rights record”.
Mickelson, a 45-time PGA Tour winner, later apologized after his comments were made public and said he would take “desperately needed time” from the sport.
He later skipped both the Masters and the U.S. PGA Championships during his self-imposed exile from the sport.
During this period, however, the rise of LIV Golf has continued to break the fabric of world golf, with dozens of family names joining the new tour.
Last week, it was confirmed that former world number one Dustin Johnson had signed up to play in the new money-making series, whose tournaments will feature some of the richest bags in golf history.
This week’s event at the Centurion Club in St Albans, north London, will feature a $ 35 million bag, almost double that of any major, with $ 5.5 million for the winner. .
In addition to Mickelson and Johnson, other players include European Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia.
Players opting for LIV Golf have done so despite warnings from the PGA Tour that they will face disciplinary action.
Several PGA Tour golfers had requested launches to play at this week’s LIV event, which clashes with the PBC Tour’s RBC Canadian Open, but were turned down.
In his statement Monday, Mickelson said he believed LIV Golf could have a “transformative” effect on the sport. He also said it would allow him to change his lifestyle.
“It will provide balance, which will allow me to focus on a healthier approach to life on and off the course,” Mickelson said.
“I’m incredibly grateful for what this game and the PGA Tour has given me.”
However, Mickelson added: “I fully understand and respect that some may disagree with this decision and have strong opinions and I sympathize with that.
“I have a renewed spirit and enthusiasm for the game.”