Phil Mickelson

As expected, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has formally suspended golfers taking part in LIV Golf's debut tournament Thursday in London.

A memo sent by Monahan states the players are no longer eligible for PGA Tour events and will be stripped of their "membership benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform":

Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia are among the 17 players named in the memo.

LIV Golf released a statement in response to the PGA Tour's announcement:

The rival tour started its first-ever round at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, and Monahan sent the memo less than 30 minutes later.

Last year, Monahan informed PGA Tour membership that any golfer who teed off on a different tour would be suspended and could face a permanent ban.

Greg Norman, a former PGA Tour star who serves as the CEO of LIV Golf, said last month the tour's stance is "anti-golfer, anti-fan and anti-competitive."

A court battle is likely on the horizon to determine whether the PGA Tour can permanently ban golfers, who are independent contractors, from competition.

Two more high-profile players, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, have reached agreements to join LIV for future events, per James Corrigan of the Telegraph. They will likely be suspended as soon as they play their first event for the new organization.

LIV Golf, which is financially backed by Saudi Arabia, is engaged in contract talks with other PGA Tour players, including Rickie Fowler and Jason Kokrak, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

Golf's four major tournaments are separate entities, and Mickelson told Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated on Monday he's been informed LIV golfers will be welcome to play those events, starting at next week's U.S. Open in Massachusetts.

"I've had many conversations with the organizations that run the majors. And I do want to keep those conversations private," Mickelson said. "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."

The USGA subsequently released a statement confirming LIV players are eligible to compete:

Monahan wrote in the memo the exodus is because of golfers' "own financial-based reasons."

Mickelson signed a contract worth around $200 million, per Brentley Romine of Golf Channel. By comparison, Lefty has recorded $94 million in on-course earnings across 30 years on the PGA Tour, according to Forbes.

While LIV holds its inaugural event in London, the PGA Tour is hosting the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto this weekend.

LIV Golf makes its debut on Thursday at the Centurion Club in London.

Everything about the startup golf tour is different than the current events on the PGA Tour.

The purses are larger, the format has a team and individual element, and there is plenty of controversy behind it because the league is backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

For months, the list of potential LIV Golf players was speculated about. Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson were the biggest catches for the league that has eight tournaments planned between June 9 and October 30.

Mickelson is the biggest name on the 48-name roster for the LIV Golf event in London, but Johnson is the best player in terms of who should win the event.

LIV Golf London Info

Dates: June 9-11

Start Time: 9 a.m. ET on June 9

Live Stream: LIVGolf.com

Tee Times: The shotgun start times can be found on LIVGolf.com.

Predictions

Dustin Johnson Wins Individual Competition

Dustin Johnson is by far the best individual golfer in the field when it comes to present form.

Most of the other notable names in the LIV Golf field are older players who are past the prime of their careers, like Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

A handful of other participants are second- and third-tier players from the PGA Tour or younger players looking for a part of the $25 million purse.

Let's be honest, though. The money is why all of these players defected from their previous tours and joined LIV Golf. It makes sense for some of the unknown golfers in the field, but Johnson and others could have stayed on the PGA Tour with large career earnings already in the bag.

The 37-year-old produced a tie for 12th at The Masters and then failed to make the cut in two tournaments and finished in a tie for 59th in another event.

The lackluster string of results on the PGA Tour may not be relevant to the first LIV Golf event because Johnson has a clear talent gap over two-thirds of the field.

If the best version of Johnson shows up at the Centurion Club, he can easily win the individual part of the event.

The 48 golfers are also broken into 12 teams. The top three teams in scoring split a $5 million purse. All of the golfers will play at once with a shotgun start beginning Thursday's round.

Johnson's team, the 4 Aces, features Shaun Norris, Oliver Bekker and Kevin Yuan. It is not exactly a star-studded team that captivates viewers, but there is one group that could control that competition.

Team Stinger Wins Team Scoring

Most of the teams put together for the LIV Golf event in London do make sense.

Team Stinger, which is one of the less strange team names compared to Niblicks, Cleeks and Punch, features a distinct connection between South African golfers.

Oosthuizen, Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Henni Du Plessis make up the team, and they could treat this weekend's event like a Presidents' Cup or a team event on any other tour.

The South African golfers have experience playing with each other in some capacity and there is some familiarity with each other's games that could help keep the team's score low over 54 holes.

Other teams could emerge as successful ones when play begins, but this foursome makes the most sense as a team winner on paper.

The other collections of players do not make a ton of sense. One or two familiar faces have been paired up, but some are patched together with players who were on different tours or amateur circuits.

Phil Mickelson declined to comment on his standing with the PGA Tour while addressing the media Wednesday ahead of the inaugural LIV Golf event.

According to ESPN's Kevin Van Valkenburg, Mickelson said: "I choose not to speak publicly on PGA Tour issues at this time."

Mickelson is one of several PGA Tour players choosing to play for the Saudi golf league. Some of them, including Dustin Johnson, have announced their resignation from the PGA Tour.

The 51-year-old Mickelson did not make a public resignation, and he also declined to say whether he has been suspended or banned from the PGA Tour.

Mickelson last competed on the PGA Tour in late January, seemingly due in large part to controversial comments he made about Saudi Arabia.

In February, author Alan Shipnuck released an excerpt from his book Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar. In the excerpt, Mickelson discussed dealing with the Saudi officials who are financing LIV Golf:

"... They killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. 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."

Mickelson lost multiple sponsorships in the wake of those comments, missed many PGA Tour events and didn't play in the Masters or PGA Championship.

On Wednesday, Mickelson followed up on the comments:

"I don't condone human rights violations at all. Nobody here does, throughout the world. I'm certainly aware of what's happened with Jamal Khashoggi, and I think it's terrible. I've also seen the good that the game of golf has done throughout history, and I believe that LIV Golf is going to do a lot of good for the game as well. I'm excited about this opportunity, and that's why I'm here."

Mickelson is undoubtedly the biggest star entered into LIV Golf's event at Centurion Club in London, which takes place this week.

Lefty is a 45-time winner on the PGA Tour and has six major titles, making him one of the most decorated golfers in the history of the sport.

He notably won the PGA Championship last year at the age of 50, making him the oldest major champion of all time.

The PGA Tour denied requests from several players to compete in the LIV Golf London event, which is why some have announced their resignations. Mickelson was among those who requested to play in London, but the PGA Tour's stance did not deter him.

Mickelson noted that he has a lifetime membership on the PGA Tour that he worked hard for and doesn't plan on giving it up by resigning.

Phil Mickelson acknowledged he had a gambling problem in the past but said it's not the reason he joined LIV Golf.

Mickelson opened up about his past when asked by Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated about potential financial difficulties:

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. And for hundreds of hours of therapy. I feel good where I’m at there. My family and I are and have been financially secure for some time.

“Gambling has been part of my life ever since I can remember. But about a decade ago is when I would say it became reckless. It’s embarrassing. I don’t like that people know. The fact is I’ve been dealing with it for some time. Amy has been very supportive of it and with me and the process. We’re at place after many years where I feel comfortable with where that is. It isn’t a threat to me or my financial security. It was just a number of poor decisions.

Alan Shipnuck, who wrote a Mickelson biography, wrote in an excerpt on FirePitCollective.com that the golfer suffered more than $40 million in gambling losses from 2010 to '14. The total was discovered during a government audit after an investigation into insider trading.

Money was also a reason for his split with longtime caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay, with Mickelson reportedly owing him hundreds of thousands of dollars in backpay.

It could help explain the 51-year-old's interest in LIV Golf, which has a reported purse of $255 million over eight events.

Mickelson, who made just under $95 million in PGA Tour events, announced Monday he will play in the organization's inaugural event this week:

According to Brentley Romine of Golf Channel, Mickelson signed a contract worth about $200 million in guaranteed money to join LIV Golf.

The six-time major champion said he is not currently going through any financial hardships despite his past mistakes, but the added money likely went a long way toward making his decision.

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.

Phil Mickelson has signed with LIV Golf, the breakaway golf tour backed by Saudi Arabia.

Mickelson noted he still intends to play in majors.

Brentley Romine of Golf Channel reported Mickelson's contract is worth in the range of $200 million.

Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post reported Mickelson will compete in LIV Golf's inaugural event in London, which begins Thursday. The details of his deal aren't yet known.

The 51-year-old is the biggest star to align himself with LIV Golf, a group that includes Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Kevin Na.

Monday's news was widely expected after Mickelson telegraphed his intentions during an interview with Fire Pit Collective's Alan Shipnuck.

The six-time major champion described the Saudi regime as "scary motherf--kers" who "have a horrible record on human rights." Still, he said the Saudi league was "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."

The comments drew widespread derision, including from Mickelson's peers. He issued a statement apologizing for the remarks:

Mickelson effectively became persona non grata on the PGA Tour. He hasn't competed since the Farmers Insurance Open in January, and ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Kevin Van Valkenburg reported that some question whether he'll ever be back on the tour.

Ahead of the Memorial Tournament last week, the PGA Tour issued a statement about LIV Golf.

"As communicated to our entire membership on May 10, PGA Tour members have not been authorized to participate in the Saudi Golf League's London event, under PGA Tour Tournament Regulations," the tour said, per Schlabach. "Members who violate the Tournament Regulations are subject to disciplinary action."

Although Mickelson indicated his desire to compete in golf's four major tournaments, it's unclear whether signing with LIV Golf will jeopardize his—and others'—eligibility for those events.

The 2022 U.S. Open tees off June 16, and Mickelson is among those who have qualified for the event. Whether he plays could be the first big test of how well the PGA Tour can fight off the threat LIV Golf poses.

Dave Stockton wasn't exactly heartbroken Southern Hills Country Club didn't have to make a plate for Phil Mickelson at the annual champions dinner ahead of the PGA Championship.

"It was a fun evening. Phil was not missed," Stockton, winner of the PGA Championship in 1970 and 1976, told reporters of the occasion. "I think Phil would have been a big distraction whether he was here. The story here this week is the PGA."

PGA of America confirmed on May 13 that Mickelson wouldn't be in the 2022 tournament field to defend his 2021 championship.

The golf legend has been in effect exiled after comments from an interview he gave to The Fire Pit Collective's Alan Shipnuck were published in February.

Mickelson spoke in favor of the Saudi-backed breakaway golf league despite calling the Saudi Arabian regime "scary motherf--kers" who "have a horrible record on human rights." He defended his support by saying the Saudi league presented "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."

The 51-year-old issued a statement saying the comments "do not reflect my true feelings or intentions," adding he has acted in "the best interests of golf, my peers, sponsors and fans."

The damage was already done by that point, though. The six-time major champion hasn't competed in a PGA Tour event since the Farmers Insurance Open in January.

According to ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Kevin Van Valkenburg, Mickelson's continued absence "has left some pros and others wondering if we'll ever see Lefty on the PGA Tour again."

However, given how news cycles work, all could be forgotten by the time next year's PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club rolls around.

Tiger Woods joined the list of voices who have distanced themselves from Phil Mickelson in the wake of Mickelson's previous comments about the PGA Tour. 

"Phil has said some things that I think a lot of us who are committed to the Tour and committed to the legacy of the Tour have pushed back against," Woods told reporters Tuesday. "He's taking some personal time. And we all understand that. But I think that some of his views on how the Tour could be run, should be run, [there's] been a lot of disagreement there. ... We all wish him the best when he comes back. Obviously, we're going to have [a] difference of opinions [about] how he sees the Tour and we'll go from there."

The 15-time major winner added he hasn't spoken recently with Mickelson.

PGA of America confirmed last week that Mickelson had withdrawn from the PGA Championship, thus turning down the opportunity to defend his 2021 title. 

That prolonged his current exile from the PGA Tour. He hasn't appeared in a tour event since the Farmers Insurance Open in January.

The 51-year-old is still dealing with the fallout from an interview he gave to Alan Shipnuck that Shipnuck published in February for The Fire Pit Collective. 

Mickelson called the Saudi Arabia regime, which is backing a breakaway golf league, "scary motherf--kers" who "have a horrible record on human rights." However, he described the new Saudi tour as "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."

Rory McIlroy described the remarks as "selfish" and "egotistical," and Justin Thomas struck a similar tone by saying Mickelson made an "egotistical statement."

Ahead of the PGA Championship, McIlroy explained that he doesn't want to see Mickelson frozen out altogether:

Woods didn't speak about his one-time rival in quite the same terms as McIlroy and Thomas, but he seemed to make his opinion on the matter pretty clear.

Rory McIlroy called Phil Mickelson's absence from the 2022 PGA Championship "unfortunate" and said he wished the golf legend was on hand to celebrate his 2021 title in the event.

"This should be a celebration, right?" McIlroy told reporters. "He won a major championship at 50 years old. It was possibly his last big, big moment in the game of golf. I think he should be here this week and celebrating what a monumental achievement he achieved last year.

"It's unfortunate. It's sad. Yeah, I don't know what else I can say."

Mickelson has not played on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at January's Farmer's Insurance Open. He has not played any competitive golf since making controversial comments about the Saudi Arabia government and PGA Tour.

“They’re scary motherf--kers to get involved with,” Mickelson told Alan Shipnuck of the Fire Pit Collective. “We know they killed [U.S. citizen and journalist Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. 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."

Mickelson was among the golfers who were denied an exemption by the PGA Tour to play in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league's event next month in London. He is one of several players who have been linked to the new tour, but his comments have done seemingly irreparable harm to his public reputation and put his playing status in doubt.

"It's crazy," golfer Kevin Kisner told Mark Schlabach and Kevin Van Valkenburg of ESPN. "It's a pretty big fall. I can't imagine what he's gone through mentally and emotionally through that whole year. But a little bit of humble pie never hurts anyone."

Mickelson, 51, became the oldest player in history to win a major at last year's PGA Championship, a moment that was widely celebrated as a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. His seeming disappearance from public life, which has included the loss of numerous sponsorship deals, shows how quickly someone can fall because of their words.