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Phil Mickelson Requests Permission from PGA Tour to Play in LIV Golf Event
April 25, 2022
Phil Mickelson has not played competitive golf in over two months, but he reportedly hopes to be back on the green soon.
According to Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Mickelson requested a release from the PGA Tour to allow him to compete in the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London from June 9 to 11.
Harig also wrote on Monday that 15 players who are ranked in the top 100 in the world have already registered for the event. He stated that player names could not yet be released because of confidentiality agreements.
Those 15 players are a part of a group of 70 golfers registered to compete, but that number is expected to be cut as the Saudi Arabia-backed golf league has indicated it intends to have 48-player fields.
Mickelson's time away from the PGA Tour has been partly because of his association with LIV Golf Investments, which has been organizing an alternative tour to compete against the PGA Tour, and comments he made about Saudia Arabia and its human rights issues. Mickelson's agent Steve Loy released a statement saying his client also submitted his applications for the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.
"Our client client Phil Mickelson is officially registered to play in the PGA Championship as well as the U.S. Open," Loy said. "We have also filed a request on his behalf for a release to play in the first LIV Golf Invitational in London, June 9-11. This request complies with the deadline of April 25 set forth by the PGA Tour to compete in a conflicting tour event."
Loy added: "Phil currently has no concrete plans on when and where he will play. Any actions taken are in no way a reflection of a final decision made, but rather to keep all options open."
The LIV Golf Invitational Series consists of eight tournaments. The series will quickly make its way to the United States, as the second event will be held July 1-3 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland, Oregon.
According to Todd Kelly of Golfweek, "PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has said any players joining the league would face banishment from the PGA Tour." Greg Norman, who is CEO of the LIV series, replied to Monahan with a letter saying that players can't be banned, so Kelly stated that "litigation seems likely in the future."