Phil Mickelson has struggled for form on LIV Golf this season and the six-time major champion has hinted that his playing career could soon be coming to an end, but the move has been highly lucrative.
As a challenging season for Phil Mickelson draws to a close, the LIV Golf star has hinted that his playing stint on the breakaway tour could be nearing its end.
Mickelson, who has only managed one top-10 finish this season and is languishing at the lower end of the standings, is under no illusions about his career trajectory. At 54 years old, the six-time major champion acknowledges that his best days are behind him.
“I see glimpses and my teammates see glimpses of me being where I expect to be able to compete at this level, but I’m also realistic with myself, and if I’m not able to I’ll step aside and let somebody come on in and take the HyFlyers to new levels,” the HyFlyers team captain said ahead of next week’s event at The Greenbrier – the penultimate individual event of the campaign.
I’m in every major on the regular tour next year, and I’ll be in three of the four majors for the next six, seven years. I would love to compete and give myself a chance to win in those, and I also want to build this out and create a culture that is sustainable and that people strive to be a part of.
“How I do that, whether it’s internally as a player and so forth, or whether it’s strictly from the outside, I’m going to be intricately involved with the HyFlyers going forward probably the rest of my life, and then my playing career I’ll be realistic where I’m at, too.”
Although “Lefty” has not reached his peak performance in his 33 appearances on LIV Golf, he has certainly reaped financial rewards. As a founding member of the controversial Saudi-backed LIV series since 2022, he secured a substantial signing bonus of £150 million.
While success on the course has been elusive, Mickelson has accumulated $7,041,933 in individual prize money from his LIV competitions. This amount pales in comparison to the impressive $55 million earned by Dustin Johnson and Talor Gooch, the champions of the 2022 and 2023 Individual Championships, respectively. Nevertheless, it remains a noteworthy sum given Mickelson’s recent decline in form.
Beyond his on-course activities, Mickelson possesses significant earning potential with LIV. As the captain of the HyFlyers, he holds equity in the team, allowing him to generate income from off-course team revenues without needing to play or to sell his share for an additional financial gain.