Both former champions of the Masters, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, who are currently playing on LIV Golf, may decide to “call it quits” in 2025 when their contract with the Tour funded by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia comes to an end.
Could this be the start of the decline for these two esteemed winners of the prestigious Augusta Masters? Phil Mickelson, aged 53, and Bubba Watson, aged 45, might indeed decide to retire once their contract with LIV Golf expires in 2025. Mickelson was among the first golfers, along with Dustin Johnson, to join LIV Golf when it was established in 2022 under the leadership of Greg Norman and financial backing from the PIF. However, Mickelson has only managed to secure two top 10 finishes in the 20 tournaments he has participated in since then.
Bubba Watson, who has a similar four-year contract as Mickelson, is also experiencing a downward spiral. He has only achieved one top 10 finish since joining LIV Golf. Watson expressed his willingness to step aside if his team believes there is a better golfer who can take his place.
Despite the potential retirement, Phil Mickelson recently stated in an interview with Golf Digest that he still has the desire to win the US Open. He said, “Winning the US Open would complete the Grand Slam in my career, and I would have nothing left to prove!”
As the left-handed golfer from San Diego approaches his 54th birthday in June, he is one of only 13 players in golf history to have won at least three out of the four major championships. Remarkably, Mickelson has finished as the runner-up in the US Open Championship six times without ever emerging as the winner.
In a remarkable feat, Mickelson became the oldest player to win one of the four major tournaments when he secured his second PGA Championship on May 23, 2021, at the age of 50 years, 11 months, and 8 days. This victory came eight years after his previous major win in 2013. Mickelson’s triumph at the Kiawah Island course, where he defeated Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen in a thrilling three-way battle, propelled him from a ranking beyond 100 to the 32nd position in the world rankings.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org