Phil Mickelson, a 45-time PGA Tour winner and the 2021 PGA Championship winner, is sitting out the start of the 2025 LIV Golf season opener in Riyadh due to a shoulder injury. Rising star Ollie Schniederjans, fresh off his International Series India Presented by DLF win, steps in to fill the void. It’s a tough break, but Lefty isn’t the one to stay down for long.

“While preparing for the season, I suffered a minor shoulder injury in the gym last week. I’m definitely disappointed that I will miss the season opener, but I look forward to playing in Adelaide. Ollie Schnierderjans will tee it up for me this week and I will be pulling for my teammates from home,” the six-time Majors champion posted on his social media account. Fans are pondering where they’ll see him next.

He will be teeing off at the LIV Golf Adelaide at The Grange Golf Club. “I’m definitely disappointed that I will miss the season opener, but I look forward to playing in Adelaide,” he said. The match will begin on Feb 14th and conclude by Feb 16th. Mickelson has a good two weeks to bounce back up. Adelaide event is one of the most successful events on LIV, with fans coming onto the course in big numbers.

Mickelson’s overall health has been through a lot. This time, even though the injury is minor, Phil Mickelson battles through chronic health issues. Can they significantly hinder his play?

Phil Mickelson fighting through the odds for wins

Lefty was diagnosed early with psoriatic arthritis and has since become a vocal advocate for raising awareness about the condition and other forms of arthritis. He continues to battle both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis—a forever-lasting disease with no known cure in most cases. The condition brings swelling and stiffness, but Mickelson is Mickelson! Despite a health barrier, he has managed to golf, exercise, get injured, and show resilience.

Cruising through the What’s Age? mindset, he became the oldest major winner in golf history in 2021. In 2023, he became the oldest runner-up in majors when he finished T2 at the Masters. He was also placed at #9 by Forbes in the “Highest-Paid Golfers 2024” list, proof of his skills and legacy.

Fans have dropped their opinions under @golf_com’s post announcing his withdrawal on Instagram. Most seemed to be oblivious with one commenting “He’s getting old. Injuries are going to occur more often.” Another user was more straight-up with “Retire already.”  With fans questioning the age factor, will we see Phil Mickelson swing strong under the Adelaide sun? Stay tuned to find out!