Golf star Phil Mickelson has reportedly been buying acres worth of land for decades in a bid to build his dream compound.
Mickelson is one of the golfers who decided to leave the PGA Tour last year to join the LIV Golf breakaway league. He was joined by the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Ian Poulter, among others.
It was announced last week that the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour would be merging with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia which funds LIV Golf. As a result, there has been uncertainty over what happens next and the future of the game.
Mickelson was one of the first high-profile players to make the switch to LIV for huge money. And according to the New York Post, the six-time major champion has been quietly spending his millions to try and make his dream plan a reality.
The 52-year-old won his first major in 2004 with the Masters, and it’s not long before this win that Mickelson is reported to have begun his career in real estate. It is claimed Mickelson has spent the last two decades buying land in and around the San Diego area in California.
He made his first property purchase in 2001, years before his first major triumph, when he bought a home in Rancho Santa Fe, which is approximately 100 miles south of Los Angeles and 25 miles north of San Diego. It’s claimed Mickelson purchased the home for $6 million, before selling it at a loss, with a $5.75m sale in 2015.
Since then, there have been more property purchases made by Mickelson in the same area. Records show his next two houses came at a combined cost of $14.1m in August 2005, including one which featured a five-bedroom, six bathroom residence occupying six acres.
Four months later, in December 2005, he added a portion of land spanning four acres for $3.4million. Then, several years later, he turned his attentions to neighbouring properties.
In 2020, he decided he wanted to buy the homes around him. Despite them not all being for sale, the New York Post report he made the owners of the home next to him an offer they could not refuse. It’s claimed that Mickelson offered $25m for a four-bedroom, four bathroom estate on 4.3 acres of land.
Another $25m deal was then apparently made for a portion of land adjacent to the previous purchase, adding a further 6.79 acres. It’s reported that Mickelson also wanted to buy some land owned by Steven Black, chairman of Cisterra Partners, but could not agree to a deal.
The end goal is reportedly for Mickelson to build his "dream compound", a source told the New York Post, at a cost of over $100million as he puts his golfing riches to use.
