LIV Golf’s team concept often extends to the league’s press conferences, which was the case on Wednesday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, where Phil Mickelson and his HyFlyer teammates faced the media as a foursome.
Roughly midway through the session, Mickelson’s hand-picked squad of Brendan Steele, Cameron Tringale, and Andy Ogletree were asked to reflect on their captain’s legacy.
Steele lauded Mickelson’s work ethic, longevity, and “infectious” energy; Tringale highlighted Mickelson’s bold style of play and the “authentic” way he engages with people; Ogletree, the youngest HyFlyer at 27, said he didn’t “feel qualified” to reflect on his boss’s legacy but that he had always appreciated Mickelson’s mentorship. Naturally, no mention was made of the thornier elements of Mickelson’s past—such as his substantial gambling debts or the figurative knife he plunged into the PGA Tour’s back—but this was hardly a forum for clear-eyed objectivity. It was a platform for celebrating a six-time major champion who has been instrumental in establishing a new global golf tour and, more broadly, reshaping the financing of men’s professional golf.
Frankly, whatever your opinion of Mickelson, it’s hard to imagine the professional game without him. Ever since he won his first PGA Tour event as a pop-collared amateur from Arizona State—34 years ago—Mickelson has held a firm grip on golf fans’ imaginations. Credit his otherworldly skill but also his penchant for risk and derring-do, both on and off the course. Still, no matter the scope of his innate talents, no amount of supplement-infused coffee can keep Mickelson young forever.
Phil understands this. The statistics confirm it. Thus far in his LIV tenure, Mickelson has largely been irrelevant. In 2022, he finished 39th in the individual points race, followed by 33rd in 2023 and a lowly 50th last year. His form hasn’t only affected his own earnings but also his team’s performance.
“I want to be realistic,” he said on Wednesday, following the flattery from his teammates. “I want this team to succeed. I don’t want to hold it back. If I’m not an asset, if I’m not helping, if I’m hindering it, then it’s time for me to move on and bring in someone else who will truly help the team win and succeed.” He added, regarding the HyFlyers’ progression, “I feel like I’ve held it back the last couple of years.”
Those can’t be easy words for Mickelson to utter. When it comes to his own abilities, he’s always been a fervent optimist. You know this if you’ve listened to any of his—let’s say, roughly 120—pre-major press conferences throughout his career. If a new swing key or driver tweak didn’t have Mickelson excited about his chances in a given week, then a new bunker sand or smoothie recipe did.
You also know this if you consume most of your golf content through YouTube and have watched any of Mickelson’s matches against or alongside Grant Horvat. You’d need to dig deep into the playlists to find any evidence of Mickelson lacking confidence. That conviction—the deep self-belief that he can pull off any shot at any time—has made Mickelson great. It has also, on several memorable occasions, undone him (see Winged Foot, 2006: “I’m such an idiot”).
This also helps explain why Captain Phil isn’t quite ready to bench himself.
“This year, I’ve played better,” he said on Wednesday. “I had a great off-season. I don’t feel I’m holding [my team] back now. If I can continue to play well and help the team succeed, then I want to play.”
In March, Mickelson recorded his best-ever LIV finish when he tied for third in Hong Kong. A month later, he finished sixth at LIV’s Miami event at Trump Doral. But in the ensuing weeks, he missed the cut at the Masters (75-72), finished outside the top 20 in LIV’s events in Mexico City and Korea, and then missed another cut at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow (79-72). His third major appearance of the season will come at the U.S. Open at Oakmont next week, bringing with it another reminder that his glory days are numbered. That’s because the five-year U.S. Open exemption Mickelson earned when he won the 2021 PGA Championship expires this year.
Could Oakmont, then, serve as Mickelson’s Open swan song?
“There’s a high likelihood that it will be, but I haven’t really thought about it too much,” he said on Wednesday.
There are other paths back to the Open, of course—either through qualifying or by special invitation from the USGA. But in terms of a guaranteed appearance, 2025 is the last for Phil. Unsurprisingly, he chose not to dwell on that reality, instead pivoting to why he feels prepared for the formidable test that awaits.
“What I have thought about is how similar this week’s course is set up to what we’ll see next week,” Mickelson said. “We have greens rolling at 14 to 15 on the Stimpmeter, just like we will next week.” He added, “Short game, touch, chipping around the greens, rough, speed, lag drills, and speed and touch on the greens—all of that’s critical here, just as it will be next week. It couldn’t be a better place to prepare.”
See, optimist.
This article originated on Golf.com
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