There was a time when Phil Mickelson topped the charts. He had 45 wins, including six majors. Well, all of this was when he played on the PGA Tour. In 2022, he became one of the first players to defect to LIV Golf. And well, things have only gotten downhill ever since. He has appeared in ten majors ever since and missed the cut in six. Missing cut was not the only issue. Lefty even failed to land in the top 40 in any of them except for one. The 2023 Masters was the only time he came close to bagging the trophy.

He was tied for the runner-up position with Brooks Koepka, a whopping four strokes behind winner Jon Rahm. And well, forget about his performance at the LIV Golf. He has failed to win any event there. This must have disappointed Mickelson, and there were hints of his retirement from a full schedule.

“I’m 53 now, and my career, you know, it’s — if I’m being truthful, it’s on — it’s — it’s — I’m a — it’s towards its end,” Mickelson told Bloomberg TV. “Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game of golf has provided me.”

However, as it turns out, the HyFlyers GC Captain finally has a clear answer for his retirement plans. He appeared in the latest video of Bryan Bros Golf for a stroke play challenge with Wesley Bryan. When asked about his progress plan, Lefty said, “I have not played the way I want to the last couple of years.” Well, true that!

The last Mickelson appeared in the stroke play event was in September in Dallas. He finished T48 there. He will now play at the 2025 LIV Golf Riyadh from February 6 to February 8. He will come with a motto there, and it will be to win. He has been practicing.

The 6x major winner also added, “By having four months off and being able to develop a game plan I’ve been able to get to a point where I believe I can play it at the level I played out in my 30s I don’t know if that’s going to be the case. We’re going to see heading into this year. I’m going to make a push to compete at the highest level and that means you know fine-tuning all aspects of my game including driving, including speed, including putting, and all that, and getting my short game back to a sharp High the highest level. So I think that it could be good if I can do something special.”

The short game was Mickelson’s strength back then. He knew he needed to work on it to get back in contention. “It’s been my short game that’s just crushed me the last few years. It’s been a staple of my game throughout my career, and the last couple years it’s been the reason why I have not scored and had the results. That’s where I’ve been focusing,” said the golfer earlier.

Lefty has to fine-tune a lot of things. To begin with, his driving distance is at an average of 299.4 yards, ranking him 41st on the list. His short game is not that great either. Mickelson has a putting average of 1.61, ranking on the 40th position of the list. He has even dropped below the top 40 on the GIR standings. Yet Phil Mickelson has a lot to prove before he retires it seems.

Before Lefty made plans for a stronger comeback, what were his thoughts about his performance?

Phil Mickelson was ready to say goodbye to HyFlyers GC

During the promotion of the 2024 LIV Golf Individual Championship in September, he even stated, “I see glimpses, and my teammates see glimpses of me being where I expect to be able to compete at this level, but I’m also realistic with myself, and if I’m not able to, I’ll step aside and let somebody come on in and take the HyFlyers to new levels.” Mickelson has been dedicated to LIV, and his team from the start. He not only wishes for his success but his team’s too.

Even earlier, Lefty did not have unrealistic goals. He was happy to help his team, and young golfers grow from outside; “I’m in every major on the regular tour next year and I’ll be in three of the four majors for the next six, seven years. I would love to compete and give myself a chance to win in those, and I also want to build this (LIV Golf) out and create a culture that is sustainable and that people strive to be a part of. How I do that, whether it’s internally as a player or whether it’s strictly from the outside … I’ll be realistic where I’m at.”

He will give the 2025 season yet another shot. Do you think Lefty will finally be able to make a comeback? Let us know in the comments section below!