We expected it, but it’s now official. Phil Mickelson joins the LIV Golf Series. The golfer himself announced on his Twitter account.

According to Brentley Romine of the Golf Channel, Mickelson has accepted around $ 200 million to join the LIV series.

Mickelson will be present at the first event of the new circuit played this week on the aisles of Centurion Golf Club in London, simultaneously with the Canadian Open held in the Toronto area.

“I’m ready to reconnect with the sport I love,” Mickelson said. After 32 years, this path is an exciting new beginning for me at this point in my career.

He said the new league would allow him to focus on a healthier lifestyle approach, on and off the courses. 

In his statement Monday, Mickelson said he “has empathy” with those who disagree with his decision to leave the PGA Tour.

Mickelson has 45 PGA wins and nearly $100 million in winnings, both at the PGA and on the Senior Tour. He won his first tournament in 1991.

“Phil Mickelson is unequivocally one of the greatest golfers of this generation,” LIV Series CEO Greg Norman said in a statement. 

His contributions to the sport and his connection with fans worldwide cannot be overstated, and we are grateful to have him. 

It reinforces an exciting area for London, where we are proud to usher in a new era for golf.

Mickelson joins a group of 48 players that also includes two-time major winners, Dustin Johnson and Martin Kaymer, and four other major winners: Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen.

In a statement posted on his Twitter account on Monday, Mickelson said he was ready to return to the game and feels healthy and “more at peace” after committing to therapy.

“I’m thrilled to get started with the LIV series and appreciate everyone involved,” Mickelson wrote. I also intend to play in the majors. 

I fully realize and respect that some may disagree with this decision and have strong opinions, and I sympathize with that. I have a renewed spirit, and I’m excited to return to the game.

The 51-year-old golfer will make a returns competition, he who has been absent since the beginning of February, while he had participated in the Saudi International. 

Since then, Mickelson has made headlines for his comments about the new circuit funded by investors from Saudi Arabia.

In those remarks, which he has since apologized for, Mickelson said he was happy to ignore the human rights abuses committed by the “scary” Saudis because it was a unique opportunity to reshape the PGA Tour and how it operates.

“We know that they killed [Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and that they have a horrible human rights record. They execute people there because they are gay,” Mickelson told biographer Alan Shipnuck.

He also accused the PGA Tour of “abhorrent greed.” Since publishing his comments, Mickelson has issued a public apology in a statement and said he would step away from the game for some time.

Mickelson has notably missed the Master’s Tournament, which he has won on three occasions, and the PGA Championship, which he won in 2021. 

It’s not yet clear if Mickelson will compete at the U.S. Open in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Last week, PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan claimed that players who decide to participate in Saudi events would be subject to sanctions and suspensions from the North American Tour.

In addition, the Washington Post reports that Tiger Woods would have refused a “mind-blowing” silver peak to join the circuit level.

The LIV Golf Invitational is the first of eight tournaments planned by this rival circuit.

Five are scheduled to take place in the United States, including two on courses owned by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

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