Every fad — like every disease — starts somewhere. It wasn't one morning where everyone collectively woke up and decided to wear "Silly Bandz" and then later dump buckets of ice water over their head.
For many, the LIV Golf era was a disease on the sport while others might've enjoyed the fad run it had on the golf world. But in all of this, someone had to be patient zero — or the influencer who showed the others that it was going to be all right in the end.
In LIV Golf's case, they reeled in one of the big fish, Phil Mickelson. Despite his decline over the years, Mickelson brought to LIV Golf what very few could — legitimacy.
Lefty's arrival in the new league came after months of controversy surrounding the legendary golfer. He had spent time criticizing the PGA Tour for greed and commissioner Jay Monahan for the way he conducts business. Mickelson expressed that LIV Golf gave professional golfers the leverage they lacked previously.
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Mickelson left the PGA for the greener pastures of LIV as well as the plenty of green that made its way into his bank account. Here are the details on Mickelson's LIV Golf contract.
Phil Mickelson LIV Golf contract
The exact details around Mickelson's LIV Golf contract were never revealed, but reports indicate that the six-time major winner received about $200 million to leave the PGA Tour and join the upstart league.
Forbes estimates that he received half of the money up front.
Mickelson hasn't been able to add a significant amount to that total through individual performances. According to Golf Monthly, he won $1,825,350 in total for 2022 — with $1,512,850 coming through individual results and $312,500 through his team.
It remains to be seen what will happen with the contracts for LIV golfers in the new merger agreement with the PGA — though Mickelson surely walks away a winner in this case.
MORE: LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger winners and losers
Phil Mickelson LIV Golf wins
Mickelson last won a major in 2021, taking the PGA Championship title. Since receiving all that cash from LIV, however, Mickelson hasn't been able to return to his winning ways.
It's been a struggle for Lefty, with only one top-10 finish — at Chicago in 2022 — over 14 events. His team hasn't found much more success either, with just one top-three finish in that same span.
