Phil Mickelson Registering to play in the PGA Championship next month and the US Open in June, his agents have requested the release of the PGA Tour to allow the six-time main champ to play in the first event of the Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf Invitational series in London in June.
In a statement, Mickelson’s longtime agent, Steve Lowe of Sportfive, said he had not yet decided whether he would play in any of the events.
“Phil does not currently have specific plans for when and where he will play,” Lowe said. “Any actions taken are in no way a reflection of a final decision made, but rather to keep all options open.”
Monday was the deadline for players to request a conflicting event version of the PGA Tour to play at the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational June 9-11.
Mickelson, 51, hasn’t played an official Tour event since he missed the chance to take part in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in late January. Mickelson has been embroiled in controversy since author Alan Shipnock released an excerpt from his upcoming unauthorized autobiography, in which Mickelson criticized the PGA Tour and said he was involved in drafting a business agreement for a breakaway league being funded by Public Investment in Saudi Arabia funding. In it, Mickelson called the Saudis “intimidating” but said he was looking beyond their controversial history of human rights abuses to gain influence through the PGA Tour.
Mickelson’s comments drew widespread criticism, including from fellow PGA Tour pros, leading him to apologize days later.
Several of his old sponsors, including Amstel Light, KPMG, and Workday, ended their relationships with him. Callaway also temporarily suspended her relationship with him. The American Express Championship said he is no longer serving as its host and will no longer be associated with his organization.
Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion, did not play the tournament earlier this month for the first time since 1994. Augusta National Golf Club president Fred Ridley said Mickelson was eligible to play as a former champion, but Mickelson chose not to compete. It was his thirtieth start in the Masters.
Mickelson is the defending PGA Championship title after unexpectedly becoming the oldest major champ at the age of 50 in May 2021 with a victory at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
The PGA Championship will be held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 19-22. The US Open will be held at The Country Club in Brooklyn, Massachusetts, from June 16-19.
The LIV Golf Invitational Series, led by the two-time Open Championship winner Greg Norman, announced in March that it would stage a series of eight events this year, with seven regular season tournaments. The series concluded with a team championship final at the Trump National Doral Stadium in Miami, owned by former US President Donald Trump, on October 27 and 30, the series announced on Monday.
The total prize money for the eight events will be $255 million, according to LIV Golf Investments, and the seven regular-season tournaments will be worth $25 million, which will be the richest in professional golf, with $20 million in individual prizes and $5. million for the first three teams. The top three after the seven regular season events will also share a $30 million bounty.
The season-ending multiplayer tournament will provide another $50 million in prizes for 12 teams in a knockout-style event. The four players on the winning team will split $16 million, followed by $10 million for the second and $8 million for the third.
“There could not be a more ideal location to host our biggest event of the year on a course with a long history with professional golfers, and we are excited to add another piece of history to this popular destination,” Norman said in a statement. on Monday. “I am really looking forward to October to see these teams go head to head to battle for the biggest prize money in the tournament’s history.”
Since the inaugural LIV event in London collides with the RBC Canadian Open in Ontario from June 9-12, PGA Tour players will need to obtain a Tour pass to compete in the LIV Championship.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan told players after the PGA Championship last May that anyone joining the Saudi-funded league would be suspended and potentially face a life ban from the PGA Tour.
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