Phil Mickelson suffered a dreadful LIV Golf round following uncertainty regarding his future playing days.
Despite displaying glimpses of his past form in Jeddah last week, Phil Mickelson failed to meet expectations during the initial round at Hong Kong. As a result, the American found himself ranked at the bottom of leaderboard.
On Friday, Phil Mickelson had an unfortunate start at LIV Hong Kong to put out of his mind only a few days after he achieved his topmost score on the breakaway circuit as a six-time major champion.
Mickelson’s performance at Hong Kong Golf Club was disappointing as he failed to score any birdies throughout his initial 18 holes. His game resulted in him being placed last on the leaderboard with a dismal score of ten-over-par 80. Within this round, Mickelson struggled and ended up achieving three double bogeys and four bogeys despite no birdies recorded for improvement.
With wildcard Hudson Swafford and the returning Anthony Kim tied for 52nd at six-over, the three-time Masters champion is trailing behind by four shots from the rest of the field.
Mickelson’s promising performance in Jeddah, where he finished the tournament with a three-under 67 to secure a tie for sixth place – his most impressive result since joining LIV Golf, was overshadowed by his nightmare start less than a week later. Despite struggling initially on the course as part of the breakaway league, Mickelson appeared content with his current form following this encouraging display.
He expressed his eagerness to capitalize on his performance in Saudi Arabia during the current week, stating before the tournament that it was a successful outing for him. He claimed that he had identified certain elements of his game which could serve as foundations and help maintain consistent play throughout this event and even beyond, extending well into Hong Kong’s tournament.
Last week was a successful one for me with several positives to draw upon. I achieved my best finish in this league, and further discovered key aspects of my gameplay that will serve as the foundation for continued solid performances leading up to Hong Kong’s event. Consequently, there are plenty more encouraging factors from last week that fuel my confidence going forward.
Mickelson was not successful on Friday and has now put himself in a difficult situation for the upcoming weekend. There have been numerous discussions regarding his 53-year-old form since he joined the Saudi-sponsored series as he has had difficulties duplicating the level of success that defined him as a PGA Tour icon.
Although Mickelson is currently struggling with his form, he can at least take comfort in the fact that he doesn’t need to be concerned about being relegated from the breakaway circuit, no matter how he places. As one of LIV’s team captains, there are exemptions for Mickelson when it comes to relegation. However, it remains uncertain as to how much longer he will remain active within this league.
In the latter part of last month, Alan Shipnuck – biographer to the 2021 PGA champion – revealed that Phil Mickelson’s upcoming contract with LIV may not involve him playing. Currently set to lapse by December 2025, this new development could steer towards a non-playing agreement instead. Moreover, Bubba Watson (also a major championship winner and captain for RangeGoats) might find himself in a similar situation as well per Shipnuck’s reportage.
