Why Phil Mickelson Thinks LIV Is the Best Tour for Preparing for Major Championships

Phil Mickelson gave a carefully worded interview on Sunday at the PGA Championship in which he touched on LIV Golf, the Ryder Cup, the Department of Justice’s investigation of the PGA Tour, and more. But after Brooks Koepka won his fifth major at Oak Hill, Mickelson shared another opinion about the benefits of the upstart league. 

Mickelson, who finished T2 at last month’s Masters along with Koepka, took to Twitter on Tuesday to comment on the success of LIV golfers so far in major championships. 

“Love LIV or hate it, it’s the best way/Tour to be your best in the majors. Enough events to keep you sharp, fresh and ready, yet not be worn down from too many tournaments or obligations. 14 LIV events, 34 weeks left open to prepare for the 4 majors. Fact.” 

Mickelson’s tweet refers to the fact that LIV golfers are only required to play in 14 events that consist of 54 holes and shotgun starts. Add in the major championships, and a LIV golfer who is eligible for all four tournaments would have 18 events on their schedule. 

The PGA Tour requires players to tee it up in 15 events (consisting of 72 holes) if they want to retain membership, but most need to play in more. 

Plus, with the 2023 “designated event” structure, “top” players are required to play in 19 events if they want to earn their full Player Impact Program bonus. That number includes nine designated events, four majors, the Players Championship, three required additional events of their choosing, and three FedEx Cup Playoff events if eligible. Those players are allowed to skip one designated event of their choosing in 2023. 

In 2024, however, the structure is shifting to likely require less of the “top” players and include limited-field, no-cut designated events. 

In his post, Mickelson didn’t touch on the fact that without Official World Golf Ranking points available at LIV Golf tournaments, more players on the upstart league might have trouble qualifying for majors in the near future. 

For example, based on the current PGA Championship qualification criteria, only five LIV golfers are slated to be invited to Valhalla in 2024: Mickelson, Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau.