Phil Mickelsons LIV Golf assessment may concern | Golf News

Phil Mickelson has urged that the LIV Golf occasion in Virginia drew bigger crowds than the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, a notion that may unsettle PGA Tour executives.

Mickelson, who appeared to not too long ago take a jab at Rory McIlroy, had a slim probability of clinching victory in Virginia but got here up short on Sunday, ending the event at 13-under-par, two strokes behind winner Joaquin Niemann.

Despite LIV Golf’s challenges in matching the PGA Tour’s tv rankings since its launch, Mickelson is optimistic about the league’s trajectory. On Saturday, a social media account named ‘Phil Mickelson Tracker’ commented on the gang dimension.

“Deeper galleries here today than anything I saw at the PGA at Quail Hollow,” the account posted, prompting Mickelson to reply: “Same.”

In Virginia, Mickelson wasn’t the only seasoned main champion to show good type; Graeme McDowell completed at 14-under-par, Bubba Watson and Bryson DeChambeau both at 13-under-par, and Martin Kaymer at 10-under-par.

Mickelson, one of essentially the most outstanding gamers to defect from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf, made the swap in 2022 just before the Saudi-backed sequence’ first occasion at Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead, England. However, he has been battling with his recreation in latest occasions.

The six-time main winner, who made historical past as the oldest main champion with his 2021 PGA Championship win at age 50, hasn’t had a lot luck in LIV Golf, failing to secure a win in his first three seasons. He landed in thirty ninth place in the 2023 standings and dropped to forty sixth in 2024.

However, Mickelson has proven a resurgence in type in 2025. He snagged a third-place end in Hong Kong in March and adopted up with a top-10 end in Miami by taking sixth place. During a climate delay on Sunday, Mickelson expressed his pleasure about being back in the sport.

“Restarting in 10 mins with a three-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead,” Mickelson posted on X. “I don’t know how it’ll all play out, but this is so much fun.”

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Despite his enthusiasm, Mickelson did not clinch the victory in Virginia. “I really did have a lot of fun, and this is why I’ve been working hard is just to have the opportunities,” Mickelson shared with journalists after the ultimate spherical on Sunday.

“I didn’t know how the result was going to play out, but every opportunity to play and compete in this situation is just so much fun, and I just cherish it, and I hope to have more.”

The upcoming U.S. Open at Oakmont is likely to be Mickelson’s final shot at securing that elusive title and finishing the profession Grand Slam. With six runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open, including a close call against victor Justin Rose in 2013, Mickelson is no stranger to coming tantalizingly close.

Mickelson’s five-year exemption for the U.S. Open is set to expire after the upcoming event. With his rating having plummeted to below the highest 1,000 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), it is unsure if he’ll get one other shot at the U.S. Open if he would not clinch victory next week.