Phil Mickelson has warned he won’t give up his PGA Tour membership without a fight but refused to answer whether he had been banned from the tour.
The six-time Major winner is the most high-profile name in the 48-man entry list for the inaugural LIV Golf event at Centurion Golf Club in St Albans this week.
It is his first tournament in four months since his controversial comments calling LIV’s Saudi backers “scary motherf*****”. At the time, he intimated he had taken a self-imposed exile from the game.
But asked on Wednesday morning if he had served or was serving a ban from the PGA Tour, of whom he was also critical during that outburst, he said: “I choose not to speak publicly on PGA Tour issues at this time.”
The PGA Tour has already issued threats to rebel players with LIV Golf over possible bans from the tour. To pre-empt that, others in the field at Centurion – Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Kevin Na – have already given up their PGA Tour membership.
But Mickelson, who has merited a lifetime membership as a result of his career successes, said he had no intention of following suit.
“I worked really hard to earn a lifetime exemption,” he said. “I don’t want to give that up, I don’t believe I should have to. I don’t know what that means for the future. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve earned that and I don’t plan on giving that up.”
Asked about the decision by others to walk away entirely from the PGA Tour, Mickelson added: “They’re making the decision they believe is best for them professionally and I respect that. As a lifetime member, I’m not required to play 15 events. I don’t see the reason for me to give that up.”
Mickelson has been the most divisive figure in the playing field in the wake of his comments about the event’s Saudi backers and then his U-turn to join the event. He and the rest of the field have been accused of being guilty of sportswashing for the Saudi Arabian regime in the light of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as well as 81 public executions just three months ago.
Defending his decision to play in the lucrative event, the 51-year-old Mickelson repeatedly said: “I don’t condone human rights violations at all. Nobody here does. I’m certainly aware of what happened with Jamal Khashoggi and I think it’s terrible.
“Nobody is trying to make up for anything. I’ve seen the good the game of golf has done throughout history and I believe LIV Golf is going to do a lot of good for the game of as well. I’m excited about this opportunity. That’s why I’m here.”
Mickelson missed both the Masters and the defence of his US PGA title during his break from the game during which he said he skied, hiked, travelled and spent time with his family.
He was adamant he had not missed being in the field for the first two majors of the year but said he fully intended to play next week’s US Open.
Rebel players look set to be allowed to compete at Brookline immaterial of any PGA Tour sanctions. And Mickelson said he still wanted to have some future involvement in the Ryder Cup despite that being under threat.
“I’m hopeful to be a part of the Ryder Cup going forward but that’s not the reason for me maintaining my membership [of the tour],” he said. “It’s because I’ve earned it. All players should have the right to play whenever and wherever they want which is consistent of being an independent contractor.”
