Phil

Mickelson

Lefty entered the week without any form to speak of and was reportedly quiet at the champion’s dinner. While his expectations were low to start the week, he certainly shattered them by week’s end. He put on a ball-striking clinic to end the week, piping 12-of- 14 fairways while landing 16 GIR. He gained a whopping 4.5 strokes on approach. “Today is hopefully a stepping stone to really kick start the rest of the year and continue some great play because I have a unique opportunity. At 52, no physical injuries, no physical problems, being able to swing a club the way I want to, to do things in the game that not many people have had a chance to do later in life.” Today’s 65 was the low round of the day and it matches Mickelson’s career-low round at Augusta National which is a remarkable feat at his age, considering all of the success he’s had at the venue over the course of his career.

The 51-year-old has 45 career PGA Tour wins including six majors, but he’s never won a U.S. Open title. He has made 26 cuts in 30 starts with 10 top-10 finishes, which include a record six runner-up results (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013. Regarding the state of his game, which has seen action just once since February (at last week’s inaugural LIV Golf event), Mickelson acknowledged the challenge facing him in Brookline, Mass. “I think it was important for me to have a little bit of competitive golf last week and identify some of the areas of weakness. It was one of the worst putting tournaments I’ve had in years,” he said, referring to his T-33 finish last week in London. “I spent time yesterday addressing that, which is why I basically putted the whole day on the course. In the offseason, I actually made some strides ball-striking-wise, and I’m fairly optimistic there, but it will be a real challenge. These are the best players in the world, and it’s the hardest test of the year.” Mickelson was part of the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team that triumphed at The Country Club in 1999. See link below for a full transcript of Mickelson’s comments.

The 51-year-old Mickelson, winner of 45 PGA Tour titles including six majors, began his statement by reiterating an apology, noting his time away included self-reflection and therapy, and that he considers “this new path is a fresh start.” He then went on to write: “I am thrilled to begin with LIV Golf and I appreciate everyone involved. I also intend to play the majors. I fully realize and respect some may disagree with this decision and have strong opinions and I empathize with that. I have a renewed spirit and excitement for the game.” LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman commented on Mickelson in a statement, noting: “His contributions to the sport and connection to fans around the globe cannot be overstated and we are grateful to have him. He strengthens an exciting field for London where we’re proud to launch a new era for golf.” Mickelson is one of 15 Tour members in the London field who were denied conflicting-event releases to play the LIV event. Tour officials reiterated its stance last week at the Memorial that players who still choose to play the LIV Golf event will face sanctions, although the Tour has not offered any details regarding specific punishments. See link below for Mickelson’s full statement.

In a statement to GolfChannel.com, Mickelson’s longtime agent Steve Loy confirmed that his company, Sportfive, filed for a release on Mickelson’s behalf to play the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational, set for June 9-11 in London. Monday was the PGA Tour’s deadline for the request, which must be approved for Tour members to compete in a conflicting event. Mickelson follows Robert Garrigus as the second confirmed player to seek such a release. However, Loy said Mickelson has not confirmed whether he’ll compete in any of the three events. The 51-year-old Mickelson, the defending PGA Champion, last played on Tour in January at the Farmers Insurance Open where he missed the cut. UPDATE: Per the PGA of America, via the PGA Championship’s Twitter feed, Mickelson has withdrawn his name from the upcoming PGA Championship at Southern Hills CC.

The 2011 Masters champion got into next week’s PGA Championship as an alternate when defender Phil Mickelson withdrew, so he no longer needs a win this week to get in. That said, he’s still firmly in the hunt at TPC Craig Ranch, and will be in the third-to-last threesome on Sunday with Ryan Palmer and rookie Davis Riley. Thru 54 holes, the South African has tallied one eagle and 22 birdies, T1 in total birdies, against seven bogeys, and ranks 3rd SG: Tee-to-Green (8.742), buoyed by a 2nd-place ranking ARG (4.108), but a lowly 58th in SG: Putting (0.083), losing strokes with the flat stick in Rounds 2 (-0.848) and 3 (-0.674). He owns two TOUR victories in 246 events, both come-from-behind varieties, the 2016 Valspar 118 starts ago, where he was solo 8th (five back), shot 4-under 67 and prevailed in a 2-man playoff, and the 2011 Masters as a first-time TOUR member, where he was T2 (four back) and shot 6-under 66 to win by two. Mickelson, who won his sixth major title at last year’s PGA at Kiawah Island, becoming the oldest player to win a major at age 50, has not competed anywhere since T18 at the Saudi Int’l on the Asian Tour 14 weeks ago (Feb. 3-6), and has not issued a public statement since a Feb 22nd tweet on his personal twitter account.

Also on the list is defending champion Phil Mickelson, who will be among 17 PGA champions in the event, which is set for May 19-22. The final spot in the PGA Championship is being held for the winner of the AT&T Byron Nelson, which begins Thursday. Woods, who made his return to competitive golf last month at the Masters (47th), played a practice round at Southern Hills on April 28, walking 18 holes with Southern Hills’ head pro, Cary Cozby, on his bag. Cozby said the trip was “all business” and told Golf Oklahoma, “Everything is so smooth with him now. His rhythm is great, he hit it straight and plenty far, he pitched and putted it great. I know guys can hit it past him now, but watching him work was amazing. He’s so meticulous, detailed and immersed in what he’s doing. He was very inquisitive on lines and the best angles.” Mickelson last played on the PGA Tour in January at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he missed the cut. In February, he finished T-18 at the Saudi International. While Jon Rahm currently leads the market at +1200 via PointsBet Sportsbook, Woods is +4000 and Mickelson is +12500.

The 51-year-old Mickelson, who won the Masters in 2004, 2006 and 2010, had been listed as a participant until Monday, when his name was moved to a section of the tournament website that lists past champions not participating. SI.com was the first to report the news, with multiple outlets confirming the news later in the day. According to the report, the Masters removes players from the participation section of the site only upon request, and Augusta National confirmed the request was made. Mickelson made 26 cuts in 29 Masters starts with 15 top-10 finishes, including runner-up in 2015 and five third-place finishes with three straight from 2001 to 2003. Also out is 2008 champion Trevor Immelman, while Tiger Woods, who has not played a PGA Tour event since a car crash in February 2021, is still listed as a participant. Players have until tournament week to decide if they will play or not. Mickelson has been under the radar since the publication of disparaging comments he made regarding the Tour in relation to conversations with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Investments and the creation of a rival golf league.

“Although it doesn’t look this way now given my recent comments, my actions throughout this process have always been with the best interest of golf, my peers, sponsors, and fans,” he said in the statement. “I used words I sincerely regret that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions. 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.” Mickelson caused an uproar last week with comments published in a story on the Fire Pit Collective that included criticism of the Saudi Arabians, who are backing the super league through LIV Golf, as well as the Tour. However, he appeared to double down on his call for change within the Tour, stating: “Golf desperately needs change, and real change is always preceded by disruption. I have always known that criticism would come with exploring anything new. I still chose to put myself at the forefront of this to inspire change, taking the hits publicly to do the work behind the scenes.” Read the full statement in the link below. Later Tuesday, longtime sponsor KPMG announced they were “mutually” parting ways with Mickelson.

When asked about his thoughts on the potential of a Super League, Mickelson said, “I think everybody is looking at it and seeing parts of it that can really help and benefit their situation, their life, their career, and then there’s parts of it that they’re probably concerned with. I’m appreciative of the fact that there is competition, and that leverage has allowed for a much better environment on the PGA Tour, meaning we would not have an incentive program like the PIP for the top players without this type of competition. We would not have the increase in the FedEx Cup money. We would not have the increase in THE PLAYERS Championship to $20 million this year if it wasn’t for this threat. It was projected to get there in a couple years. To have a season-long payout for the top 10 guys on the FedEx Cup list came about last year for the first time at 10 million, it’s going to double to 20, I think, and that wouldn’t be around. I’m appreciative of the competition, and what my hopes are is that the biggest thing, which are media rights and the way the players have been used for so long, I hope that that changes through the competitive opportunity, as well.”

“I’d like to thank all the crazies (and real supporters too) for …Helping me win the PiP!! To get the 2nd half of the money I have to add an event I haven’t played in awhile [sic]. See you in Kapalua,” he wrote on Twitter. The program pays the top 10 players based an algorithm that includes five criteria: Google searches, Meltwater Mentions (global media exposure), MPV Index (social media reach), Nielsen score (network broadcast exposure) and Q-Score (familiarity and mass appeal). Hence, Mickelson is making his ninth start in the Sentry Tournament of Champions and his first since 2001. He won in 1994 and 1998, when the tournament was played at La Costa, but this week is just the third time he’s played at Kapalua. In 1994, Mickelson bogeyed the last hole of regulation to fall into a tie with Fred Couples and won when Couples made bogey on the second playoff hole. In 1998, he beat Mark O’Meara by one stroke. Mickelson is one of two players in the field, along with Stewart Cink, who also played this event when it was at La Costa. Mickelson made one Tour start in the fall, finishing T-36 in the Fortinet Championship.