LIV Golf 2026 Season Player Preview: Phil Mickelson

The 2026 LIV Golf season starts next February under the lights in Riyadh, and in the next few months, we’ll take a detailed look at each player competing next season. Next up is a six-time major champion and Hall of Famer, Phil Mickelson, captain of HyFlyers GC.

LOOKING AHEAD 

It’s fair to wonder just how much longer Mickelson can be the best player on the HyFlyers GC at this stage of his career, but it would be unwise to completely rule out the possibility of a Mickelson win in 2026. The 55-year-old undoubtedly needs more help from his teammates if the team is to be featured on podiums in the future.

Additionally, 2026 is the first year Mickelson will not be exempt into the U.S. Open field as his five-year exemption from winning the 2021 PGA Championship has run out. If he’s to make one more run at the elusive career grand slam, he’ll need to get through Final Qualifying, earn a spot through the LIV Golf standings or rely on a special exemption from the USGA.

LOOKING BACK 

At 55, Mickelson reminded everyone why he's still one of the game's most thrilling players when his putter gets hot. In 2025, he posted three top-10 finishes on LIV Golf, highlighted by a 3rd-place finish in Hong Kong, which marked his first-ever podium finish. He nearly stole the show in Virginia, too, staying in the hunt until the final holes and producing one of the shots of the year: a sensational flop-shot chip-in from thick greenside rough that sent both the Virginia fans and social media into a frenzy. The six-time major winner carried the HyFlyers both on the course as the most productive HyFlyer as well as in the locker room.

WHAT THE STATS SAY

Strengths: Mickelson’s iron play was strong in 2025. He ranked 22nd in the league in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining an average of .16 strokes per round. He was especially dialed from 150 yards and in, where he ranked 7th in the league (+0.24), demonstrating he’s still one of the best wedge players in the world.

Mickelson’s short game was also solid. He ranked 20th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 29th in Strokes Gained: Putting. He ranked T3 in the league in sand saves (62%).

Weaknesses: Mickelson only hit 62% of greens in regulation, which ranked in the bottom third of the league. Considering his iron play was above average, this was mostly due to his off the tee play. While not a glaring weakness, Mickelson was below league average in fairways hit (62%) and driving distance (304.3).

CAREER RESULTS

LIV GOLF REGULAR SEASON 

Year     Team               Starts  Rounds  1st 2nd 3rd  Total Top 10  Total Top 24

2022    HyFlyersGC   7             21             0    0     0      1                      2

2023    HyFlyersGC  13            39            0    0     0      1                      3

2024    HyFlyersGC  13            39            0    0     0      1                      3

2025    HyFlyersGC  12            36            0    0     1       3                     7

TOTAL                          45           135          0     0    1       6                     15 

TOTAL TROPHIES WON (0)

Individual Regular Season wins: 0 
Team Regular Season wins: 0 
Individual Championship: 0 
Team Championship: 0 

LIV GOLF CAREER SCORING

Stroke Average Total: 70.82
Round 1 Average: 70.91
Round 2 Average: 70.44
Round 3 Average: 71.11

Lowest Round: 64 

BOTTOM LINE

Mickelson is still a box office attraction if he can find his way in the mix in a few tournaments this year. At this point in his career, every additional tournament, every vintage "Phil” shot, and every Sunday charge is essentially bonus material. Golf is better when he’s relevant, and there’s still enough evidence on the scorecard to suggest we haven’t seen the last of those weekends quite yet.