The American has struggled for form since joining the LIV Golf circuit in 2022, but the six-time major champion has shown he can still compete with the best at times
Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson had a great game last week on the LIV Golf circuit. He finished in a tie for sixth at LIV Jeddah, which is his best performance so far.
Phil Mickelson played a bogey-free three-under-par 67 in the final round on Sunday. His birdies came at the third, 10th and 18th holes. This saw him finish the Saudi-based tournament at 10-under, tying with other stars like Talor Gooch, Adrian Meronk and Jason Kokrak. Even though he finished seven shots behind the champion, Joaquin Niemann, it was a much-needed top-10 finish for Mickelson. Since joining the breakaway league in June 2022, he hasn’t been in good form.
In 23 LIV Golf events, the former PGA Tour legend has only had three top-10’s. His previous two were at Bedminster in 2023, and Chicago the year before, reports the Mirror. Last month, a report from Mickelson’s biographer, Alan Shipnuck, suggested that Phil Mickelson’s playing days on the LIV setup could soon be over.
The report said that Phil Mickelson’s next LIV contract – which expires at the end of 2025 – might be a non-playing one. Despite not being able to replicate his all-time great form from his time on the PGA Tour, Mickelson showed last April that he can still compete with the best.
Jon Rahm, the newly-signed star of LIV, was crowned Masters champion 11 months ago, while Mickelson enjoyed a Sunday surge up the leaderboard, reminding us of his glory days. He finished with an impressive seven-under-par final round 65, tying for second place with fellow LIV member Brooks Koepka, four behind Rahm.
Phil Mickelson had been experiencing a bit of a slump on the LIV circuit prior to his runner-up finish last Spring, failing to make the top-25 in all three of his appearances before heading to the first major of the season last year. However, his performance at the 2023 Augusta proved that he still has what it takes to compete.
“Yeah, it just reaffirms that I knew I was close,” he said at the time. “I’ve been hitting quality shots. This doesn’t feel like a fluke. It wasn’t like I hit shots I haven’t been hitting. I stayed present and didn’t make loose swings or those bad swings at an inopportune time. I stayed very present and calm throughout, then executed and had a blast.”
“Like this is so much fun. Again, we’re all grateful that we’re able to play and compete here, and I think it’s tremendous for this tournament to have all the best players in the world here. Then as a past champion, to be able to still be a part of it, it means a lot.”
The captain of the HyFlyers is surely looking to repeat that performance at this year’s Masters in just over a month. Mickelson has two more events lined up in Hong Kong this week and Miami at the start of next month, before he heads off to Augusta as a three-time past champion.
