Phil Mickelson will miss the start of the 2026 season after confirming he has pulled out of the opening two events on the LIV Golf League calendar.
The veteran golfer shared the update on X explaining that he and his wife Amy need to step away due to a family health matter. As a result, Mickelson will not feature in the season opener in Riyadh or the following tournament in Adelaide.
“I will not be able to participate in the first two LIV Events as Amy and I need to be present for a family health matter,” Mickelson wrote.
“I can’t wait to compete again and look forward to rejoining my teammates as soon as possible. In the meantime Ollie Schniederjans will step in for me in Riyadh as I root on HyFlyers GC from afar.”
Mickelson is expected to return for the third event of the season in Hong Kong in early March, where he would rejoin HyFlyers GC. This will be the second straight year he has missed the Riyadh stop, having sat out the event last season due to injury.
For the opening week in Riyadh, HyFlyers GC will field a lineup that includes new signing Michael La Sasso, along with Brendan Steele, Cameron Tringale and Schniederjans as Mickelson’s replacement. It remains unclear if Schniederjans will continue with the team beyond the first event.
Schniederjans has made only a handful of LIV Golf appearances so far and is still searching for his first points in the team competition. His best finish came last season when he stepped in for Mickelson in Riyadh.
Mickelson’s absence comes at a time when LIV Golf is already adjusting to recent exits, including Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, both of whom have moved back toward the PGA Tour.
How did Phil Mickelson perform during the 2025 season?
Phil Mickelson enjoyed his most consistent year on LIV Golf in 2025 picking up a few strong finishes along the way.
The six-time major champion recorded three top-10 results across the season, with his best performance coming in Hong Kong where he finished third at 14 under par. It was his highest individual finish since joining the league.
He also impressed in Miami with a sixth-place result and followed that up with a tied fourth finish in Virginia where he closed with a low final round of 65.
Some events proved more challenging including finishes near the bottom of the field in Korea and Dallas, but overall the season showed clear progress compared to previous years.
Here’s how Mickelson fared across LIV Golf events in 2025:
- LIV Golf Adelaide: T23, −2 (72-74-68)
- LIV Golf Hong Kong: 3, −14 (67-65-64)
- LIV Golf Singapore: T19, −4 (69-68-72)
- LIV Golf Miami: 6, −1 (69-73-73)
- LIV Golf Mexico City: T22, −1 (71-69-72)
- LIV Golf Korea: 50, +7 (75-70-78)
- LIV Golf Virginia: T4, −13 (67-68-65)
- LIV Golf Dallas: 49, +11 (77-74-76)
- LIV Golf Andalucía: T23, +2 (72-72-71)
- LIV Golf United Kingdom: T37, −1 (70-70-72)
- LIV Golf Chicago: T25, −1 (68-71-73)
- LIV Golf Indianapolis: T40, −6 (67-72-68)
- LIV Golf Michigan – Stroke Play: T29, −2 (68)
Majors
- Masters Tournament: Missed Cut, +5 (75-74)
- PGA Championship: Missed Cut, +9 (79-72)
- U.S. Open: Missed Cut, +8 (74-74)
- The Open: T56, +1 (70-72-76-67)
Phil Mickelson also played all four majors during the year, though results were mixed. He missed the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open, before finishing tied 56th at The Open Championship.
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