Phil Mickelson Joins Dustin Johnson in Ditching PGA for Trump Endorsed LIV Series Golf Tournament which Kicks off in London

Today, LIV Golf announced that six-time major champion Phil Mickelson will tee off at the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series tournament June 9-11 at Centurion Club (London). This news comes just days before the series tournament starts, just five days after it was announced that Dustin Johnson had a change of heart, and is also playing in the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Mickelson announced the news on Twitter in a screenshotted statement.

“First and foremost, I want to again apologize to the many people I offended and hurt with my comments a few months ago. I have made mistakes in my career in some of the things I have said and done. Taking time away and self-reflecting has been very humbling. I needed to start prioritizing the people that I love the most and work on becoming a better version of myself. I have spent this time with Amy and loved ones. I have been engaged and intentional in continued therapy and feel healthy and much more at peace. I realize I still have a long way to go, but I am embracing the work ahead.”

“I am ready to come back to play the game I love but after 32 years this new path is a fresh start, one that is exciting for me at this stage of my career and is clearly transformative, not just for myself, but ideally for the game and my peers. I also love the progressive format and think it will be exciting for fans. Just as importantly, it will provide balance, allowing me to focus on a healthier approach to life on and off the course. I am incredibly grateful for what this game and the PGA Tour has given me. I would like to think that have given back as well but now I am excited about this new opportunity. “

“I am thrilled to begin with LIV Golf and I appreciate everyone involved. I also intend to play the majors. I fully realize and respect some may disagree with this decision and have strong opinions and I empathize with that. I have renewed spirit and excitement for the game. I am incredibly grateful for the support of my fans, partners, friends, and peers and I hope in time, those sentiments, relationships, and support continue.”

pic.twitter.com/riT2ot0yvk

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) June 6, 2022

In April, Mickelson had requested a release from the PGA Tour to play in the opening LIV Golf Invitational Series event at the Centurion Club in June. He also had registered for the PGA Championship (which he ended up skipping) as well as the U.S. Open, which is set to start June 13th. Mickelson told Sports Illustrated in an interview today that he still intends on playing in the U.S. Open as well.

Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf, had this to say about Mickelson: “Phil Mickelson is unequivocally one of the greatest golfers of this generation. His contributions to the sport and connection to fans around the globe cannot be overstated and we are grateful to have him. He strengthens an exciting field for London where we’re proud to launch a new era for golf.”

LIV Golf had been also courting the infamous Jack Nicklaus, trying to get him to attend as well. Nicklaus responded to the efforts with, “I’ve got zero interest in wanting to do something like that. I don’t care what kind of money they would have thrown at me. My allegiance has been to the PGA Tour. I grew up on the PGA Tour. I helped found the PGA Tour as it is today. My allegiance is there, and it’s going to stay there.”

Many golfers loyal to the PGA share Nicklaus’ sentiment, and Johnson was in that camp at one point until he had a change of heart and decided to play in the LIV series.

Norman responded to Nicklaus’ comments with, “One hundred percent truth? Jack’s a hypocrite. When he came out with those comments, I’m thinking: Jack must have a short memory. Quote-unquote, he said: ‘This is good for our game. If it’s good for the game of golf, it’s good by me.’ So you want the facts? You’ve got the facts. Know what you said before you open your mouth.”

It was unclear until this point if Mickelson was going to join the LIV tournament or not. He made comments in February in which he claimed were off the record, but that were published. Below is the controversial statement made by Mickelson, which prompted him to take some time off and out of the spotlight.

“They’re scary motherfuckers to get involved with. We know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates. They’ve been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won’t do what’s right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I’m not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour.”

Mickelson lost multiple sponsors after the comments were published, he then shared a lengthy apology on Twitter, which can be seen below. After this he disappeared out of the public eye until today, when he made his announcement that he will be playing in the LIV tournament.

A Statement from Phil Mickelson pic.twitter.com/2saaXIxhpu

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 22, 2022

Trump has endorsed the LIV Series, with two of the events being hosted at a couple of his golf courses. The third installation will take place at Trump’s golf course in New Jersey, at the Bedminster where the PGA had held its Championship in years past until it revoked the contract last year. The final event, the Team Championship will be played in Miami at the Trump National Doral at the end of October.

This new series has certainly shaken things up in the world of golf. It is unclear what the repercussions will be for Mickelson as the PGA hasn’t been too friendly to the idea of any of their members playing in the LIV Golf tournament.