Phil Mickelson has revealed his ambition to return to the pinnacle of men's professional golf, following three underwhelming seasons on the LIV Golf circuit. Mickelson was a pioneer when he pledged his allegiance to the LIV setup in 2022, with top players like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau following suit.
However, since making the switch, the former PGA Tour star has struggled to recapture the form that once made him one of the sport's most formidable competitors. In his three seasons with the Saudi-backed league, Mickelson hasn't managed to place higher than 34th in the season-long standings and is yet to clinch a championship on the LIV tour.
After a challenging 2022 and 2023, Mickelson's woes persisted last year, with the HyFlyers captain ending the season 46th in the standings, achieving just one top-10 finish. Despite his difficulties on the green, Mickelson has laid out his plans for a comeback in 2025.
Speaking on the Bryan Bros YouTube channel, the six-time major winner confessed: "I have not played the way I want to the last couple of years. Having four months off and being able to develop a game plan, I have been able to get to a point where I believe I can at the level I played at in my 30s.
"I don't know if that is going to be the case. We are going to see heading into this year, but I am going to really make a push to compete at the highest level. That means fine-tuning all aspects of my game. Including my driving, speed, putting all of that. Getting my short game back to the highest level, so I think I could do something special.
The 54-year-old is aware that time is not on his side, but he's not ready to hang up his clubs just yet.
Despite acknowledging his decline, Mickelson remains hopeful and committed to his HyFlyers team, even suggesting he'd step aside if necessary. "I see glimpses and my teammates see glimpses of me being where I expect to be able to compete at this level, but I'm also realistic with myself, and if I'm not able to I'll step aside and let somebody come on in, and take the HyFlyers to new levels," he remarked last season.
"I'm in every major on the regular tour next year, and I'll be in three of the four majors for the next six, seven years. I would love to compete and give myself a chance to win in those, and I also want to build this out and create a culture that is sustainable and that people strive to be a part of.
"How I do that, whether it's internally as a player and so forth, or whether it's strictly from the outside, I'm going to be intricately involved with the HyFlyers going forward probably the rest of my life, and then my playing career I'll be realistic where I'm at, too."
This article originally appeared on Mirror US
