Mickelson the last to sign up for Saudi-funded golf league

FILE - Phil Mickelson greets spectators as he walks onto the 16th tee in the first round of play at the Northern Trust golf tournament, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, N.J. Phil Mickelson, the chief recruiter for a Saudi-funded rival league to the PGA Tour, was the last big name to join the 48-man field for the LIV Golf Invitational that starts Friday outside London. It will be Mickelson's first time playing since Feb. 6 at the Saudi International. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Phil Mickelson, a chief recruiter for a Saudi-funded rival league to the PGA Tour, is ending his four-month hiatus by adding his name to the 48-man field for the LIV Golf Invitational that starts Friday outside London.

Mickelson will be joining Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and three other former major champions in a 54-hole tournament at Centurion Golf Club with $25 million in prize money and $4 million going to the individual winner.

“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,” Mickelson said in a statement posted on social media.

Mickelson also said he would be playing the last two majors, starting June 16 in the U.S. Open at The Country Club outside Boston.

He said the “transformative” new league would allow him to focus on a healthier approach to life on and off the course. Mickelson did not mention the signing fee, which is likely to be every bit of the $125 million or more reportedly paid to Johnson.

 

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