Phil Mickelson has filed a request to play in the first leg of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, a Saudi-funded event that has drawn scrutiny.
Mickelson has not committed to play in the tournament from June 9-11 in London. But his representatives completed the formal request ahead of the PGA Tour’s April 25 deadline for competing in conflicting events.
“Phil currently has no concrete plans on when and where he will play,” said Steve Loy of Sportfive, which represents Mickelson. “Any actions taken are in no way a reflection of a final decision made, but rather to keep all options open.”
The Telegraph reported that Sergio Garcia is seeking to play in the first LIV tourney. Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Louis Oosthuizen also have been linked to the event.
Mickelson also registered for the PGA Championship in May and the U.S. Open in June, according to Loy. The 51-year-old is the defending champion of the former, and winning the latter would give him the career grand slam.
Meanwhile, LIV Golf announced Monday it will hold its season-ending Team Championship at Trump National Doral in Miami.
The Team Championship will feature a $50 million purse and conclude an eight-tournament series that kicks off in London in June.
The Saudi-backed series, previously referred to as the Super Golf League, plans to dole out more than $250 million in total purses.
Doral hosted a PGA Tour stop from 1962 until 2018. Former president Donald Trump has owned the property since 2012, when his organization purchased it out of bankruptcy.
“There could not be a more perfect location to host our biggest event of the year at a course with such a long history with professional golfers, and we are excited to add another piece of history to this famed destination,” Greg Norman, CEO & Commissioner of LIV Golf, said in a statement. “I am very much looking forward to October to watch these teams go head-to-head to compete for the largest prize purse in tournament history. As we continue to select locations for our events in world-class cities, we knew Miami had to be included in the rota, and the Blue Monster is a fan favorite and a perfect place to end our inaugural season.”
The dates and locations of the first seven tournaments were announced last month. Another Trump property, Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster, N.J., was previously announced.
Five of the eight events will be contested in the U.S. and two will be in Asia.
The full schedule:
June 9-11: Centurion Golf Club, London
July 1-3: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Portland, Ore.
July 29-31: Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, Bedminster, N.J.
Sept. 2-4: The International, Boston
Sept. 16-18: Rich Harvest Farms, Chicago
Oct. 7-9: Stonehill Golf Club, Bangkok, Thailand
Oct. 14-16: Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Oct. 28-30: Team Championship at Trump National Doral, Miami
–Field Level Media
