Phil Mickelson has revealed that there continues to be interest from players from rival tours over following in his footsteps and making the move to LIV Golf.
Mickelson led an exodus of big name players from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to the breakaway league two years ago, and since then the LIV setup have only strengthened their roster. Speaking at LIV’s season finale in Miami 12 months ago, Mickelson revealed he had spoken with a number of players from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were keen to make the Saudi switch.
“The reality is, I’ve been fielding calls, as we all have, from players that are free agents to PGA Tour players to DP World Tour players that want to come over,” the six-time major champion told reporters last year.
Speaking on the possibility of filling a vacant spot left by the relegated James Piot at the time, the HyFlyers captain added: “You know, the spots probably going to be filled by the time the qualifying tournament is here. So if I’m just being truthful, that’s a very real possibility.
“And even if it is filled, there’s always the possibility of a trade to get him back. There’s ways this could work out. But I think there’s a good chance based on the number of calls that we’ve had that the spot will be filled fairly soon.” In the aftermath the likes of Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk all went on to leave the PGA Tour to join LIV.
The free spot on Mickelson’s team meanwhile was filled by Andy Ogletree, who earned promotion to the league after winning the Asian Tour’s international Series of Merit. A year on, a similar question was posed to the 54-year-old in Thursday’s pre-tournament press conference.
Phil Mickelson leads the HyFlyers (Image:Getty)
Asked if he had heard of a similar interest this time around from players from opposing tours, Mickelson simply replied: “Yes.” This time around though the 2021 PGA champion was clearly keen to keep his cards close to his chest, responding: “No,” when asked if he could expand on any potential talks.
For now Mickelson’s business lies on the golf course, with the former PGA Tour stalwart leading his HyFlyers in Friday’s quarter-final match-up against an in-form Torque GC side which includes a firing Joaquin Niemann. The Chilean – who has won twice on the LIV circuit in 2024 – was just pipped by Jon Rahm to the individual title in Chicago this week, having previously been the long-time leader throughout the year.
Ahead of the clash, Mickelson is more than aware of the danger his opponents pose. “I really like the team of Torque. I think they’re an incredible team. Joaco is one of the best players in the game, and I’ve had a chance to play with him a number of times this year, and it’s just impressive watching him play. Then the rest of his team are just really good guys and solid players.
“I’ve enjoyed watching their success. Our team is looking forward to the challenge, and we haven’t had the year that we wanted to this year, and this is an opportunity for us to showcase what we’re a
