Phil Mickelson Hasn't Resigned from PGA Tour After Agreeing to LIV Golf Contract

Phil Mickelson said he won't resign from the PGA Tour like other golfers, including Dustin Johnson, have done as they prepare to play in the inaugural LIV Golf event this week in London.

Mickelson, a PGA Tour member since 1992 who's recorded 45 wins in the tour's events, told Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated that he's hopeful a decision will be made to allow for freedom of player movement.

"I have not resigned my membership," he said Monday. "I worked really hard to earn that lifetime membership. And I'm hopeful that I'll have the ability to play wherever I want, where it's the PGA Tour, LIV or wherever else I want."

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has maintained that any player who tees it up on the rival tour would be subject to a suspension and possible lifetime ban.

Greg Norman, a former PGA Tour star who is the CEO of LIV Golf, wrote in a February memo that the new league doesn't believe the PGA has legal standing to ban players, per Rex Hoggard of Golf Channel.

"In our view and in the eyes of the law, the PGA Tour's threats are utterly impermissible under competition and other laws," Norman wrote.

The major tournaments are separate entities from the tour, and Mickelson told Harig he's under the impression that he can compete in the four premier events despite going to LIV.

"I've had many conversations with the organizations that run the majors," he said. "And I do want to keep those conversations private. But I am looking forward to playing the U.S. Open and I'll be there. I'm under the understanding that I'm able to play."

While players have offered a variety of reasons for switching, including the team format and no-cut tournaments, the main allure is obvious: money.

Brentley Romine of Golf Channel reported Monday that Mickelson signed a contract Saturday worth $200 million. Each of the seven LIV tournaments will feature a $25 million prize pool ahead of a team championship event with $50 million in prize money.

The LIV Golf Invitational Series is funded by Saudi Arabia, which has led to questions about the country's history of human rights violations and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

"I certainly do not condone human rights violations. And addressing what happened to Jamal Khashoggi is awful," Mickelson said. "But I have seen the good that game of golf has done throughout history. And I really believe that LIV can be good for the game of golf as well."

What happens next is a mystery. The PGA Tour, which is hosting the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto opposite the first LIV tournament, may wait until that event in London gets underway to announce punishments for participating players.

From there, a court battle could ensue to determine whether golfers have the freedom to play on both tours.

It creates a drama-filled environment ahead of next week's U.S. Open, the season's third major.