Phil Mickelson, also known as ‘lefty,’ is one of the finest golfers with an impressive resume. His career spans over three decades, during which he won Six major championships and 45 PGA Tour victories. However, this July, the LIV golf commissioner, Greg Norman, announced that Mickelson would join the Saudi-backed circuit and play at Centurion Club’s inaugural event. 

They set the purse for the 54-hole and 48-player tournament as $25 million. The former PGA golfer faced criticism after joining LIV but ignored them. However, people made many unbelievable speculations regarding his shift to LIV golf. But in an interview with Sports Illustrator, he cleared the doubts and stated the facts.

Was Phil Mickelson suffering from a financial crisis?

According to Alan Shipnuck’s book, Mickelson lost more than $40 million in four years, 2010-2014. And therefore, he was going through debt, which was why he was unavailable for months before joining LIV. However, in the interview, Mickelson cleared the debts. The reporter asked him if he joined LIV to get out of the financial debts because of gambling, but the former PGA golfer denied it.

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He said, “My gambling got to a point of being reckless and embarrassing. I had to address it. And I’ve been addressing it for a number of years.” He added, “My family and I are and have been financially secure for some time.” The LIV defector explained that gambling had been an essential part of his life, and it became reckless about a decade ago. However, Lefty feels embarrassed about his addictions then, and he does not want people to know. But now, “It isn’t a threat to me or my financial security,” said the pro golfer.

However, he has been undergoing therapy, and things are under control now. His wife, Amy, has been a very supportive partner while he was addressing the gambling issue. He now stands in a place where he feels secure and comfortable about how bad things were back then. According to him, it was a series of poor decisions made by him. However, things are different and better now.

If not for money, then why did Mickelson join LIV?

After the announcement of Mickelson joining the Saudi-backed series, the golfer went on Twitter and revealed the reason. He joined LIV so that he could have a ‘fresh start.’ As LIV was a new format, the pro golfer wanted to experience it and believed he would get more opportunities. Also, according to the major championship winner, LIV was bringing a transformation to golf globally, and he wanted to be part of it. Therefore, he reportedly signed a deal of $200 million to join LIV Golf.

Watch this story- Golf World Strongly Upset Over Latest Phil Mickelson Tweet

What are your thoughts about the claims made by Mickelson? Let us know in the comments section below.