Phil Mickelson left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf back in June 2022.
Mickelson played a lead role in the inception of LIV, and he even attempted to recruit PGA Tour players to join the fledgling tour during The Sentry in January 2022.
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The 55-year-old is still one of the biggest names in the game, despite the fact that he risked tarnishing his legacy by joining LIV Golf.
Phil Mickelson won 45 times on the PGA Tour, including six major championships.
While he was a fairly divisive figure during his time on the PGA Tour, he had a huge following. However, since he joined LIV Golf, his popularity has undoubtedly tumbled.
Photo by Johan Rynners/Getty Images
Mickelson will miss the PGA Championship next week, unfortunately, having played only one event on LIV Golf this season.
He is said to be dealing with a private family health matter.
However, with LIV Golf set to lose their financial support from Saudi Arabia’s PIF, every single player, Mickelson included, faces an uncertain future.
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Brandel Chamblee says how much Phil Mickelson would’ve earned if he didn’t join LIV
Mickelson is obviously an extremely wealthy man, with a net worth believed to be around $400 million.
The 55-year-old was paid handsomely to join LIV Golf as well, with estimates suggesting that Saudi Arabia’s PIF parted with around $200 million to tempt him into joining.
However, he would have made a seriously nice living had he rejected LIV, according to Brandel Chamblee.
And apparently, he would have earned that money without even playing.
During an appearance on the Talking Golf Podcast with Ann Liguori, Chamblee responded when asked what he makes of Mickelson’s current situation.
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“I’m not sure what’s going on with Phil,“ said Chamblee.
“You know, I wish him and Amy well, you know, he’s got an adorable wife, Amy, everybody loves her.
“I kind of miss Phil as a voice in the game. You know, if Phil hadn’t left for LIV, if he hadn’t so heavily denigrated the PGA Tour, you know, he would have probably been the lead voice at CBS.
Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP via Getty Images
“He would have been an honorary starter at Augusta.
“You know, he would have been doing corporate outings for millions of dollars.
“He would have made, you know, Rich Lerner and myself, we’ve talked to people who are well-versed in these things.
“He would have made 30, 40, 50 million dollars a year for the rest of his life.
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“And he would have been a very important voice in the game.
“The self-immolation of his legacy, by saying the things he said on the way out, I don’t think he’ll recover from that, and I don’t think he’ll find a way back to the PGA Tour.“
What could be next for Phil Mickelson?
There is no doubt that Mickelson would have been paid extremely well, whatever he did after hanging up his clubs.
There is no question that Mickelson damaged his brand by joining LIV Golf.
However, he clearly believed in the project at the time.
With LIV Golf now facing an incredibly uncertain future, Mickelson may well be on his way out.
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If he does, though, he almost certainly wouldn’t return to the PGA Tour.
The six-time major winner has burned too many bridges for that to be a possibility.
He may well just decide to retire from the game. After all, he has more than enough money to retire, if that is indeed what he wants to do.
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