By Rahul Banerji
Phil Mickelson on Monday threw his lot in with LIV Golf, which said that he would tee off at the inaugural Invitational Series tournament from June 9 to 11 at Centurion Club near London.
Lefty was the face of the Greg Norman-fronted bid to set up the lucrative LIV Golf series till a candid chat with his biographer that went viral backfired on the six-time major champion.
Mickelson opted to lie low thereafter but resurfaced on Monday to say he was all in with the Saudi Arabia-backed league, and for the long run.
And in a further jolt for the PGA Tour, the colourful Rickie Fowler is also possibly on his way into the LIV Golf ranks.
“These tours or leagues or whatever wouldn’t really be coming up if they didn’t see that there was more opportunity out there,” Fowler was quoted saying.
“I’ve always looked at competition being a good thing. It’s the driving force of our game. You know, being able to have games with guys at home, that’s how I always grew up is competing.
“I think competition ultimately makes people better, whether it’s business, sport.”
More recently, Fowler added, “I’ve been in talks with them (LIV Golf) for a long time. It’s something to definitely look at.”
Falling grades
What may have decided matters for the 2017 Hero World Challenge winner was his inability to seal a US Open berth, Fowler failing to make the grade at a qualifier in Florida on Monday.
Fowler’s last PGA Tour title came three years ago at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2019, and he has fallen to 145th in the Official Golf World Rankings.
The former world no. 4 is however not in the field for the $25 million Centurion Club tournament.
Meanwhile, LIV Golf said on Monday Mickelson and the five who qualified through the Asian Tour’s event at Slaley Hall would round out the 48-member field for the International Series.
Mickelson joins India’s Viraj Madappa, Itthipat Buranatanyarat of Thailand, Aussies Travis Smyth and Kevin Yuan, and Ian Snyman of South Africa to complete the line-up at Centurion Club.
Full field
The 57-time professional winner fills out a field of seven major champions with a combined 14 major titles, as well as three former world no. 1s and 27 of the top 150 golfers in the world, LIV Golf said.
“Phil Mickelson is unequivocally one of the greatest golfers of this generation,” CEO and LIV Golf commissioner Norman said.
“His contributions to the sport and connection to fans around the globe cannot be overstated and we are grateful to have him.
“He strengthens an exciting field for London where we’re proud to launch a new era for golf.
“Our International Series qualifiers have earned an incredible opportunity to compete in LIV Golf’s new format, and I’m eager to watch all of them tee it up next week.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many of them, and that has been a driving force behind our mission at LIV – creating player pathways and new opportunities to play the game we all love.”
Meanwhile, a Twitter post on Tuesday revealed the likely list of 12 captains and their team names for the first Invitational Series event with a further seven to follow.
Captains and teams
Dustin Johnson (4 Aces)
Phil Mickelson (Hy Flyers)
Sergio Garcia (Fire Balls)
Graeme McDowell (Niblicks)
Ian Poulter (Majesticks)
Kevin Na (Iron Heads)
Louis Oosthuizen (Stingers)
Martin Kaymer (Cleeks)
Peter Uihlein (Crushers)
Sihwan Kim (Smash)
Talor Gooch (Torque)
Wade Ormsby (Punch)
The 12 teams will now be picked at a draft scheduled for later in the week.
Strategic step
And in a parallel development, Johnson, Garcia, Branden Grace, Kevin Na, Charl Schwartzl and Louis Oosthuizen all resigned their PGA Tour memberships, virtually ensuring a long-term commitment to LIV Golf.
The step, however, has no bearing on their playing status when it comes to the majors, which fall outside the control and ambit of the PGA Tour.
Also read: Viraj Madappa to line up for LIV Invitational’s London event
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