Phil Mickelson hits career-low ranking after LIV switch
Phil Mickelson has not exactly had an incredible run since joining LIV Golf. He's not winning tournaments, even though he is making a lot of money off of the rebel tour. Mickelson's rank on the OWGR has plummeted as a result.
Mickelson has been the best ranked golfer in the world more than once, but he's so far from that now that it seems impossible. He hasn't lost all of his ability, but enough of it has waned that his decision to join LIV Golf effectively ended any hopes of climbing.
The OWGR ranking doesn't count LIV events. Nothing LIV Golf members do on the rebel tour helps their ranking, so they can truly only move down. For reference, Cameron Smith was ranked second in the world when he defected. Now, Smith has dropped to fifth and will likely continue dropping.
Mickelson wasn't ranked all that high to begin with, but he's now hit a new career low. Shockingly, the golfer nicknamed "Lefty" has dropped all the way out of the top 300 to the 318th place on the leaderboard.
Mickelson told Sports Illustrated in an interview that he doesn't believe that the OWGR holds any credibility anymore, so he's probably not too worried about his overall ranking:
"There will probably be another ranking system that is a more credible system as it includes all golfers in the world. This one has lost any credibility. I wouldn’t be surprised if tournaments stopped using it as a criteria for qualifying. I think it is ultimately hurting the tournaments more than the players."
He continued:
"If you’re a major championship and you’re using it as a qualifying factor and you’re taking a system that is not getting all the best players in the field, it hurts the tournament more. That's why you might see tournaments go away from it as qualifying criteria. Or have a new ranking system."
Mickelson will have a few opportunities to raise his ranking, but it likely won't make much of a difference. He and other LIV golfers are eligible to participate in the major tournaments, provided the qualification they get doesn't require an OWGR rank.
Mickelson can participate in a lot based on his previous wins and other reasons. Since those are PGA Tour events, the OWGR will count them. Everything else he does will not count and he'll likely continue sliding regardless.
Why did Phil Mickelson join LIV Golf in the first place?
While his bank account has probably flourished, Phil Mickelson's reputation has been tarnished by his move. Still, he stands by it.
The league has been controversial since the start given its location and the questionable nature of its money. Still, Mickelson is all in:
"Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
He had qualms with how the PGA Tour operated and LIV Golf gives him the ability to have more say. For Phil Mickelson, that was really all he needed to jump ship and never even consider looking back.