Getty Image / Asanka Ratnayake
Phil Mickelson is less than three years removed from his last Major Championship with, the 2021 PGA held at Kiawah, and he has quite a few years left in him of playing top-tier competitive golf even if his HyFlyers GC are wallowing in 11th out of 13 teams with back-to-back last place finishes in recent LIV Golf Invitationals.
HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson only has one top-20 finish in a LIV Golf event this season but retirement really isn’t on the table… Or is it? Phil’s LIV Golf contract, estimated to be worth around $200 million, is reportedly set to expire in 2025 and at this point only Lefty knows what will happen after that. However, he reveal a portion of his retirement plans this week on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In response to a fan saying that Phil Mickelson would become the most sought after TV analyst in golf the moment he retires (which I believe is true, by the way), Phil responded saying that talking about golf on TV broadcasts likely isn’t in his future. Phil said:
“Thank you for the kind words. However, just cuz someone CAN do something doesn’t mean they SHOULD do it. Instead of commentating, I’m going to shoot some Pros vs Schmos 9 hole matches. I’ll share insights throughout as well as talk a little smack. It won’t be the highest quality video but it’ll be fun for me to do and fun to watch I think too.”
In response to that, PGA Tour golfer Wesley Bryan (1 win) says he’d love to be included. Ian Poulter also told Phil he’d like to get in on the action:
X / Twitter / Phil Mickelson
Mardy Fish chimed in with “Happy to let you teach me how to golf too buddy.” Someone else suggested that Phil starts a podcast where he only interviews left-handed professional athletes.
Every serious golf fan would watch this and a LOT of casual fans would as well. Mickelson has a knack for speaking about the game that few others in the world can come close to. He also has an unmatched creative eye for the game that’s sorely missed on the PGA Tour these days but is one of the primary reasons to tune into the LIV Golf broadcasts. I once watched him hit a shot backwards at a tournament in New Jersey, on purpose, and the bleachers went absolutely nuts.
So yeah, this would be a great retirement option for Phil Mickelson but he’s already earning millions so making this project worth his time would be tricky. Distribution (TV? YouTube? Private streaming service?) would be the first obstacle to sort out in order to determine if the monetization is worth the grind for Phil Mickelson in retirement.
But with videos like Bryson vs Phil and the gambling clip that emerged, this would be a winning venture if Phil Mickelson pursues it in retirement.