Phil Mickelson, one of the architects behind the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, will not play in the league’s season-opening event this week in Riyadh.
The 6-time major winner disclosed that he had suffered a shoulder injury while working out in the gym last week.
“I’m definitely disappointed that I will miss the season opener, but I look forward to playing in Adelaide,” Mickelson posted on X.
The 54-year-old Mickelson has played most of his career without substantial injuries, a testament to his physique and conditioning regime. It’s remarkable how healthy he has been for over 30 years, unlike his greatest adversary, Tiger Woods.
That said, Mickelson has had an injury bother him before. Ahead of the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, Mickelson experienced some inflammation in his left wrist, so he had no choice but to get a cortisone shot to ease the pain. It did not help, though. Mickelson went on to miss the cut that week, the first time he failed to make the weekend at a major since the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Mickelson also said then that if it were not the U.S. Open, he likely would have skipped it.
Fast forward to this week, and the mantra remains the same. Since LIV Golf’s first event of the season is not a major, Mickelson decided to rest one more week to ensure he is healthy enough for LIV Golf Adelaide, which begins Feb. 14.
LIV Golf Adelaide is arguably the biggest event of the LIV calendar, as nearly 100,000 Australian golf fans flock to The Grange Golf Club to watch some of the world’s best players. The scenes are quite lively, too, drawing comparisons to the WM Phoenix Open, which begins this week at TPC Scottsdale on the PGA Tour.
But for LIV Golf Riydah, a recent winner will replace Mickelson in the field.
“Ollie Schneiderjans will tee it up for me this week and I am pulling for my teammates from home,” Mickelson added.
Schneiderjans will take Mickelson’s place one week after recording a triumphant victory on the Asian Tour in India. The 31-year-old Schneiderjans bested Bryson DeChambeau by four shots to win his first professional event since 2016. Once heralded as an up-and-coming young star, injuries have since plagued Schneiderjans’ career. But now he can make some noise in a LIV Golf event since Mickelson is sidelined.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
