Is Phil Mickelson Playing the Inaugural LIV Golf Event?

Jun 2, 2022 | 8:14 AM EDT

Is Phil Mickelson Playing the Inaugural LIV Golf Event?

Jun 2, 2022 | 8:14 AM EDT

The Liv Golf Tour is about to have its inaugural tournament at the Centurion Golf Club outside of London. The field list of competing players was released today and, much to everyone’s surprise, Phil Mickelson was not named on the list.

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Mickelson, who has been quite open about his desires to join the Saudi-backed Liv Golf Tour, was not included in the list of names for the inaugural event.

The reason behind Lefty’s name not being listed in the list still seems to be a question for many fans. Although Mickelson’s team has confirmed that his client has officially registered in the PGA Championship and the US Open, nothing related to the LIV event has been commented on by them.

Phil Mickelson’s Comments on the Saudis

Previously, the 51-year-old was under massive public scrutiny for his comments toward the people of Saudi Arabia. He also ended up losing several of his sponsorships for these comments.

Alan Shipnuck, who is writing a biography on Mickelson called ‘Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar’ reported that Mickelson had called him and brought up the league.

“They’re scary motherf—ers to get involved with,” Mickelson said, “We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights.”

He further added, “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.”

However, LIV Golf has only announced 42 of 48 players, which means there might still be a slight possibility of Mickelson participating in the inaugural event.

Details about the Inaugural LIV Golf Tournament

The event will take place on June 9 at the Centurion Club, Hertfordshire. It will be the first of eight LIV Golf Invitational Series events that will take place later in the year.

LIV Golf released a list of 42 players earlier on their website. Dustin Johnson was one such name that caught everyone off guard.

First LIV line-up for 42 of 48 players announced overnight & big surprise is DJ but also Gooch and Wiesberger. It would seem that some of the bigger personalities of the sport are standing up and making a statement to the main tours #GolfChat #livgolf #SGL pic.twitter.com/9dyps3dBrB
— Bros and Birdies2 (@BBirdies2) June 1, 2022

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The event looks to gather widespread attention among the golf world as more and more top golfers seem to consider joining the LIV Tour as it offers more attractive prize money than PGA.

Will you be watching the inaugural Liv Golf Tournament or consider staying loyal to the PGA Tour?

Written by

Abdul Bari Khan

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Abdul Bari is a seasoned golf writer at EssentiallySports with an impressive portfolio of over 700 articles. Abdul has ‘putted’ his way into the EssentiallySports Hall of Fame with his in-depth coverage of the sport. One of Abdul's career highlights at ES was his article on Phil Mickelson's potential penalty, which received widespread praise from golf enthusiasts worldwide. Off the course, Abdul is an avid golfer himself, often found perfecting his swing on the local green. He has a particular fondness for a powerful tee shot, and his admiration for Cameron Smith stems from the player's exceptional putting and calm short approach.

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Jito Tenson