Evidence confirm Phil Mickelson’s LIV Golf playing days are over with Bubba Watson to suffer same fate
Phil Mickelson’s LIV Golf playing days may be over with Bubba Watson to suffer same fate
Phil Mickelson has been struggling for form since joining LIV Golf in 2022, and the six-time major champion’s next move with the breakaway league could be a non-playing role
When Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson’s current league contracts expire, it’s possible that they’ll join Bubba Watson in a non-playing capacity at LIV Golf.
With his loyalty to the Saudi-backed league already established prior to its first event in June 2022, Mickelson was the catalyst for the start of the player exodus from the PGA Tour to the LIV setup. The six-time major winner has been a constant on the circuit ever since, but his playing days may be coming to an end soon.
Alan Shipnuck, the biographer for Mickelson, speculates that the 53-year-old’snextcontract with the breakaway league may be as a non-playing captain.
Greg Norman and company gave a four-year contract to each of the team captains as well as to Talor Gooch, the 2023 individual champion. According to Shipnuck, players will reopen talks with league management at the end of 2025, and Mickelson and Watson might withdraw from the on-course competition.
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After struggling to regain the form that made him one of the greatest players in history during his PGA Tour career, Mickelson has only finished in the top 10 in 20 events on the LIV circuit. Even Watson, the two-time winner of the Masters, has struggled.
RangeGoats captain Watson has only once finished in the top-10 in his first full season on the Saudi-backed series; his best LIV performance occurred in Tulsa last May. The former Green Jacket winner, who hasn’t been able to find his best form, has previously talked about his future on the circuit.
Speaking at LIV Greenbrier last summer, Watson acknowledged that if his teammates desired it, he would be willing to play a supporting role with the RangeGoats. “I told my friends that if they thought I wasn’t good enough to play, they would fire me and replace me with another talented golfer.
“I’m not leaving until they tell me to. I quit. I want to support the youth. I love it. Everyone is striving to better themselves and golfers. In my life, I’ve had the opportunity to mentor three golfers who are parents and new parents. I want to be there for them and help them when they need it. .
In recent years, Mickelson has also vowed to retire from golf, but there’s a catch: The U.S. Open is the only major title an American has won, but a victory will complete his career at the Grand Slam.
And if he can cross the finish line in his first home game, that’s the end of his career.
In an interview with Golf Digest in February 2022, he said, “I will retire if I win the US Open.“ It was my last race. As for the end of his Grand Slam career, there was nothing left to prove.
Mikkelsen’s LIV golf match against Bubba Watson ended in a loss..