Phil Mickelson finally wakes up in light of LIV Golf playing days possibly being over

Phil Mickelson has struggled for form since joining LIV Golf, but the former PGA Tour showed shades of his old self after recording his best finish on the circuit in Jeddah last week

“Last week, Phil Mickelson delivered his strongest performance yet on the LIV Golf circuit, achieving a tie for sixth place at LIV Jeddah, marking a significant milestone for the six-time major champion.” In the last round on Sunday, Mickelson finished with a score of 67, three under par, without any bogeys.

He made birdies on the third, 10th, and 18th holes. This performance allowed him to finish the tournament in Saudi Arabia at 10-under, which put him in a tie with other notable players like Talor Gooch, Adrian Meronk, and Jason Kokrak.

Although he finished seven shots behind the champion, Joaquin Niemann, his performance resulted in a much-needed top-10 finish for Mickelson. Since joining in June 2022, Mickelson has struggled to find good form in the breakaway league.

In 23 LIV Golf events, the former PGA Tour legend has just three top-10’s to his name, with his previous two coming at Bedminster in 2023, and Chicago the year earlier. Amid his lack of form, a report last month from Mickelson’s biographer, Alan Shipnuck claimed the American’s playing days on the LIV setup could soon be over.

The report suggested Mickelson’s next LIV contract – with his current deal expiring at the end of 2025 – could be a non-playing one, with the 53-year-old the captain of the HyFlyers. Despite failing to replicate the form that made him an all-time great during his time on the PGA Tour, Mickelson showed last April that he still has what it takes to compete with the best.

Whilst LIV’s newly-signed star Jon Rahm was declared Masters champion 11 months ago, Mickelson rolled back the years by enjoying a Sunday surge up the leaderboard. A superb seven-under-par final round 65 saw him finish in a tie for second alongside fellow LIV member Brooks Koepka, four back of Rahm

On the back of his runner-up finish last Spring, Mickelson had been going through somewhat of a rough patch on the LIV circuit, having finished outside the top-25 on all three of his outings before heading to the first major of the season last year. On the back of his 2023 Augusta showing though, it showed Mickelson that he was still good enough to compete.

“Yeah, it just confirms that I believed I was near,” he stated at that moment. “I have been hitting good shots. This doesn’t seem like a coincidence. It wasn’t as if I hit shots I hadn’t hit before.

I remained focused and didn’t make careless swings or those poor swings at a crucial moment.

I remained very focused and composed throughout, then performed well and enjoyed myself.” “It’s really enjoyable. Once again, we appreciate the opportunity to participate and compete here. Having all the top players in the world at this tournament is fantastic.

Being a previous champion and still being involved holds great significance for me.”

The HyFlyers captain is undoubtedly aiming to repeat his performance at this year’s Masters next month.

Mickelson will participate in two more events in Hong Kong and Miami before heading to Augusta, where he has previously won three times.