Rumors are swirling that LIV Golf's days might be numbered, and with that, speculation about which players could return to the PGA Tour has heated up. But if you're hoping to see Phil Mickelson back in PGA Tour events, you might want to temper those expectations.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil has insisted the 2026 season is still on track, but the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund's backing could dry up after this year. Without that massive cash injection, the breakaway league's survival looks shaky at best. That has golf fans wondering: will the big names who jumped ship come crawling back?
According to sports media personality Trey Wingo, the PGA Tour would likely welcome back Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm if LIV collapses. Wingo told Awful Announcing's Brandon Contes, "I don't think the PGA Tour cares about 54 or 52 of the 56 LIV golfers or how many there are. They care about two for sure, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. I think those are the two that they'll find a way back like they did for Brooks Koepka, because he's a five-time major winner. But the rest of them, I think they might say, 'Congratulations, Taylor Gooch, I'm glad you got your money. You won't see us again unless you go through the hardest way possible to earn your tour card like everybody else.'"
But for Mickelson, the door appears to be slammed shut permanently. Wingo didn't mince words: "I can promise you one person that you'll never see in any way in an official capacity with the PGA Tour is Phil Mickelson. That bridge has been burned, detonated, destroyed, nuked, lasered to death. There is no building that bridge back."
So what exactly went wrong between Mickelson and the PGA Tour? The six-time major winner didn't exactly leave on good terms. Before he even signed with LIV Golf in 2022, Mickelson publicly accused the PGA Tour of greed. In an interview with Golf Digest, he said, "It's not public knowledge, all that goes on. But the players don't have access to their own media. If the tour wanted to end any threat, they could just hand back the media rights to the players. But they would rather throw $25 million here and $40 million there than give back the roughly $20 billion in digital assets they control. ... For me personally, it's not enough that they are sitting on hundreds of millions of digital moments. They also have access to my shots, access I do not have. They also charge companies to use shots I have hit. And when I did 'The Match'—there have been five of them—the tour forced me to pay them $1 million each time. For my own media rights. That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious."
Those comments didn't sit well with the PGA Tour brass, and the relationship has only soured since. While some players like Koepka have managed to patch things up, Mickelson's criticism cut deep. For a tour that prides itself on controlling its narrative, his accusations were seen as a betrayal.
Meanwhile, the golf world is buzzing with other headlines. In a separate incident, Mike Tirico's celebrity name blunder stole the show during a Knicks-Hawks game, reminding us that even seasoned broadcasters have off nights. And for those keeping an eye on weather affecting sports schedules, seven states are bracing for extreme thunderstorms that could disrupt Tuesday's games.
As for Mickelson, his legacy as one of the greatest golfers of his generation is secure. But his future with the PGA Tour? That ship has sailed, and it's not coming back to port.
