Phil Mickelson finally has a podium finish in LIV Golf.
The highest profile golfer and most outspoken member of the Saudi Arabia-financed league when it formed in 2022, Mickelson has since made many more headlines for his battles with PGA Tour members than for his golf play.
But this week in Hong Kong, Mickelson finished solo third, marking his highest finish and the first time he’s made the podium in 37 LIV events.
“The fact is, I’m hitting a lot of good shots,” Mickelson said. “I’m playing some good golf. This is a building week as I continue to build into LIV and my goal of accomplishing a win in LIV as well as winning another major or getting ready for Augusta.”
Mickelson has won six majors, three at the Masters, which starts April 7. His last major championship was the 2021 PGA. He put on the green jacket at Augusta in 2004, 2006, 2010.
Mickelson was 14-under 196 for the three-day event in Hong Kong, four shots behind winner Sergio Garcia. Dean Burmester, who lives in Palm Beach County, was second, three shots behind Garcia.
The Hong Kong Country Club played 6,710, shorter than any of the 47 courses that are holding a PGA Tour event this season.
The event was the third on the LIV calendar but Mickelson’s second. He missed the season opener in Riyadh due to a minor shoulder injury sustained during a workout. Mickelson was 23rd three weeks ago in Australia.
Mickelson’s best finish before Hong Kong was a T6 in Jeddah last year. He has just four top 10s and seven top 20s. In 2024, Mickelson was 46th out of 57 players who played at least one LIV event, just three spots above the drop zone, although as a captain he would not have been kicked out of the league.
Garcia, 45, has two wins, three other runner-up finishes, and 13 top 20s in the last 16 LIV regular season events.
LIV’s next event is this week in Singapore. The league’s first U.S. tournament is April 4-6 at Trump National Doral.
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Phil Mickelson tuning for Masters with best LIV Golf finish in Hong Kong
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