Phil Mickelson issues statement after officially joining LIV Golf

May 23, 2021; Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA; Phil Mickelson gives a thumbs up to the fans while walking on the 2nd hole fairway during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

After months of flirting with the idea of leaving the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson has made his decision official.

Mickelson is joining the LIV Golf Invitational Series, which is an 8-event series backed and organized by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. He was added to the field for the series’ first event, which begins on Thursday at the Centurion Club outside of London.

“Lefty” issued a statement on Monday to explain his reason for joining the rival series.

The PGA Tour has said they would not be giving waivers to members who want to play in the rival series. But Mickelson says he still intends to play in majors. None of the four majors are controlled by the PGA Tour.

Mickelson has not played since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. He drew negative attention when he acknowledged the Saudi Arabians are “scary motherf—ers.” But he decided to get involved with them because he was frustrated with the greed from the PGA Tour.

Mickelson lost endorsement deals with Amstel Light, KPMG and Workday following his comments about Saudi Arabia. His lifetime sponsor Callaway paused its relationship with him.