Is Phil Mickelson Playing in the 2022 PGA Championship?

It has been only a month since the first major of the PGA Tour, the Masters Tournament, has ended. And the golf world is already getting ready to welcome the second major, the PGA Championship! However, the question most fans have been asking for weeks is yet to be answered. Will the 2021 PGA Championship winner, Phil Mickelson, come to defend his title at the Southern Hills this year? 

Phil Mickelson created history with his victory at the 2021 PGA Championship; he had become the oldest to win a major at 50. He scored an overall of 6-under par to beat the young golfers, including Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka. 

Furthermore, he also became the 14th male golfer to win six majors in his career. The golfer had a fruitful outcome from the PGA Championship last year. However, it is not sure whether he would play at the event to defend his title this year.

It has been months since the 6-time major winner Mickelson last played in a tournament. He went on a hiatus in February after his controversial remarks about the authority of the LIV Golf Series and the PGA Tour went viral, making him a recipient of heavy backlash.

Read more: An Epic Phil Mickelson Story That Deserves to Be Read All Around the World

For the same, the 51-year-old had issued an apology on social media and on his plans to take some time off to “prioritize” the things he loves the most in life. 

Mickelson didn’t play at the Masters Tournament in 2022; a competition he hasn’t missed since 1994. However, he has already registered to play at the Southern Hills. 

What does the PGA official think about Phil Mickelson playing at the Southern Hills? 

“I do believe in redemption. I do believe he can figure this out,” Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA, said. “He’s gotta decide where he wants to be.”

.@Garywilliams1Up & @PGA CEO Seth Waugh discussed a lot of topics this week, including if their defending champ, @PhilMickelson, will be at Southern Hills and how to they hope the focus can be on the golf.

Watch Full: https://t.co/nhuMxsyPaM
Listen: https://t.co/XRs88ZRU6u pic.twitter.com/il53cauW1j

— 5 Clubs (@5ClubsGolf) May 4, 2022

“Does he (Phil) want to be part of the ecosystem or change the ecosystem,” Waugh further added. He explained that the PGA and the golfer are in conversation about his possible comeback at the PGA Championship. 

Ever since the LIV Golf had announced its plan to start a new golf league, Mickelson has been bad-mouthing PGA Tour. He called out the Tour officials for their “obnoxious greed” in an interview with Golf Digest. 

May 23, 2021; Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA; Phil Mickelson poses for a portrait with the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/REUTERS

Yet, the Tour officials are ready to accept him back on the Tour if he decides to stay here. Not to mention, Mickelson has already applied for a PGA Tour release to play at the LIV Golf Series. 

Mickelson has registered to play at the PGA Championship but requested a release to play at the LIV Golf Series. These actions of the golfer clearly indicate that he still hasn’t decided which event to choose from. However, since the major will begin in two weeks, it is only a matter of time until we find out where and when will see lefty. At the PGA Tour event or at the inaugural event of the Saudi-backed league in June, only time will tell.

Watch This Story: Greg Norman’s Message to Phil Mickelson Is Going Viral

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