The Hyflyers GC captain, Phil Mickelson, has yet to play his first LIV Golf tournament of the season. The golfer first withdrew his name from LIV Golf Riyadh and LIV Golf Adelaide due to family health concerns, but even after these two tournaments, he failed to rejoin his team. The Saudi-backed league is currently in Johannesburg, South Africa, to host their first tournament on the African continent, and everyone has one question: Is Mickelson playing?
While there had been much suspicion that the 55-year-old might miss this tournament as well, the Hyflyers’ official X site already confirmed that their captain will return. On March 16, the team’s account uploaded Mickelson’s image and a caption that read,
“Phil returns to the lineup this week in South Africa! 🇿🇦”
With his return, the six-time major winner has undoubtedly increased the excitement around the LIV Golf South Africa. As of this writing, the tournament’s first round has concluded, and after being away from the game for so long, Phil Mickelson has displayed some rust on the course. Mickelson last played a tournament in August 2025, when the LIV held an event in Michigan.
After this long absence, Mickelson finished his first round back with a total score of 4 over par, placing him at the bottom of the leaderboard. The golfer was unable to judge the Club at Steyn City well and ended up shooting two birdies, one bogey, one double bogey, and one devastating triple bogey. While the golfer may still turn things around from here, his team is not in a good position either.
Phil Mickelson’s Hyflyers GC is having a really dismal season so far
While Phil Mickelson was away, the Hyflyers GC were unable to secure a respectable top ten spot on the team scoreboard. The team consistently finished 10th or 11th since it lacked a clear leader. When Phil Mickelson walked in for the LIV Golf South Africa, the team’s fans were excited for a strong competition, but after round one, the team was once again at the bottom of the table.
Talking more about the team’s final tournament rankings on each event, here’s a look at that as well,
- LIV Golf Riyadh: Finished 13th (55 shots behind the eventual winner)
- LIV Golf Adelaide: Finished 11th (22 shots behind the eventual winner)
- LIV Golf Hong Kong: Finished 11th (30 shots behind the eventual winner)
- LIV Golf Singapore: Finished 10th (33 shots behind the eventual winner)
- LIV Golf South Africa*: Currently at 13th (23 shots behind the current leader)
Even Phil Mickelson’s chances of winning this tournament are not tremendous, as he was ranked at +25000 in bets and odds. Not only that, but he was ranked +1900 for a top-five finish and +680 for a top ten finish in the LIV Golf South Africa.
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