LIV Golf released the field list last week for its first event at the Centurion Golf Club in London from June 9-11. Missing from this list were six names, as only 42 were made public for the 48-man, 12-team tournament. There was plenty of speculation surrounding the half-dozen names omitted, but with five reserved for a qualifying series on the Asian Tour, LIV Golf announced on Monday that Phil Mickelson will be the player filling the final spot. Mickelson was offered in the area of $200 million to join the rival golf tour, according to Golf Channel.
"I am ready to come back to play the game I love but after 32 years this new path is a fresh start, one that is exciting for me at this stage of my career and is clearly transformative, not just for myself but ideally for the game and my peers," Mickelson said in a statement.
"I am thrilled to begin with LIV Golf and I appreciate everyone involved. I also intend to play the majors."
Despite the delay, it was always believed Mickelson's name would find its way onto the entry list, as he been the main player spearheading the rival tour's efforts alongside LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman. The 51-year-old has been out of the public spotlight ever since his controversial comments regarding the Saudi Arabia regime surfaced in late February.
"Phil Mickelson is unequivocally one of the greatest golfers of this generation," said Norman. "His contributions to the sport and connection to fans around the globe cannot be overstated. He strengthens an exciting field for London where we're proud to launch a new era for golf."
Rick Gehman and Patrick McDonald discuss Phil Mickelson's official move to the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Mickelson's last taste of competition on the PGA Tour came at the Farmers Insurance Open in January before playing in the Saudi International. Mickelson was not present at either of the first two major championships of the year -- the Masters and PGA Championship -- despite being the eligible to play in both. The six-time major winner's absence at the PGA Championship came as a bit of a surprise, as he was entered in the field only to back out the week before his title defense.