Tiger Woods offers Phil Mickelson route back to PGA Tour with LIV Golf player spot under threat

LIV Golf has recently secured its first well-known athlete, Phil Mickelson, as a signee.

However, the contract of the accomplished six-time major winner will soon expire, and there are hints from Tiger Woods that he may consider returning to the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods recently offered a gesture of reconciliation to golf stars from LIV Golf, including Phil Mickelson, by extending an invitation for them to return to the PGA Tour in the coming future.

Mickelson showed his support for the new and rich Saudi-backed golf league, LIV Golf, when it emerged as a competitor to the PGA Tour. He was one of the first players to join the league and has remained a constant presence on the controversial circuit since its inception in June 2022. But it seems that his time as a player may be coming to an end soon.

As stated by Alan Shipnuck, the biographer of Mickelson, it is possible that the 53-year-old will serve as a non-playing captain in his next contract with LIV Golf, as all the original team captains were given a four-year agreement.

If Mickelson steps away from playing at the end of his contract, it will mean he enjoyed a short spell with LIV Golf. In 20 events on the LIV circuit, Mickelson has just two top-10 finishes to his name, struggling to replicate the form that made him one of the sport’s greatest players during his time on the PGA Tour.

Woods is back in action this week, when he lines up alongside the PGA Tour’s biggest names for the Genesis Invitational and when asked about a potential pathway back to the PGA Tour for discarded or disillusioned LIV Golf players, Woods refused to close the door on stars to return.

But the 15-time major champion, a long-time rival of Mickelson, admitted the transition back to the PGA Tour may be complicated.

We’re looking into all the different models for pathways back,” Woods said. “What that looks like, what the impact is for the players who have stayed and who have not left and how we make our product better going forward, there is no answer to that right now. We’re looking at a very different – varying degrees of ideas and what that looks like in the short term, we don’t know.

“We don’t even know in the longer term what that looks like. Trust me, there’s daily, weekly emails and talks about this andwhat this looks like for our tour going forward.”

Woods is preparing to make his return to competitive golf as the 82-time PGA Tour winner entered into the Genesis Invitational. The 48-year-old, who is also hosting the tournament, has not featured on Tour since last December’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Forced to play a reduced schedule in recent years due to physical ailments, Woods featured just three times on Tour in 2023. He played at the Genesis Invitational before returning for the Masters where he struggled and withdrew with an ankle injury.

After being compelled to take a break and rehabilitate for a period of eight months, Woods made his comeback at the Hero World Challenge. His forthcoming appearance at Riviera denotes a fresh phase in his professional journey as he parts ways with Nike Golf, a brand he has been associated with for 27 significant years.

Woods recently revealed the introduction of his fresh brand named ‘Sun Day Red’ (SDR), which pays homage to the hue he dons during the last day of competitions. With the beginning of this new chapter, he aims to attract favorable luck as he strives for a victory on the PGA Tour, a feat he has not achieved since his devastating car accident in 2021.