LIV Golf released the field roster last week at its first event at the Centurion Golf Club in London from June 9-11. Missing from this list were six names, as only 42 were announced for the 48-player and 12-team tournament. There has been much speculation surrounding the half-dozen names that have been omitted, but with five names reserved for a qualifying series on the Asian Tour, LIV Golf announced on Monday that Phil Mickelson will be the player to fill last place. Mickelson offered in the region of $200 million to join the golf competition, according to golf channel.
“I’m ready to go back to playing the game I love, but after 32 years, this new path is a fresh start, an exciting path for me at this point in my career and obviously transformative, not just for me but perfectly for the game and my teammates,” said Mickelson. in statement.
“I am delighted to be starting with LIV Golf and I appreciate everyone who participated. I also intend to play major tournaments.”
Despite the delays, it was always believed that Mickelson’s name would find its way into the entry list, as he was the key player who spearheaded the competition tour effort alongside LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman. The 51-year-old has kept out of the spotlight since his controversial comments about Saudi Arabia’s regime surfaced in late February.
“Phil Mickelson is unequivocally one of the greatest golfers of this generation,” Norman said. “His contributions to the sport and his outreach to fans around the world cannot be overstated. He is fostering an exciting field in London as we are proud to usher in a new era of golf.”
Rick Gehmann and Patrick MacDonald discuss Phil Mickelson’s official transfer to the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Go ahead and listen to The First Cut on Apple podcast And the spotify.
Mickelson’s last taste of competing on the PGA Tour came at the Farmers Insurance Open in January before playing for Saudi International. Mickelson was not present in either of the first two major tournaments of the year – the Masters Championship and the PGA Championship – despite being eligible to play in both. The absence of the six-time winner of the PGA Championship came as a bit of a surprise, as he entered the field only to fall back the week before to defend his title.
