Phil Mickelson has been one of the most important golfers in LIV Golf’s history. A marquee player, Mickelson is someone who fans want to see playing. However, in 2026, Mickelson hasn’t been able to play a single event in the PIF-backed league due to a family emergency.

However, at LIV Golf South Africa, that’s about to change. Mickelson will finally make his return and play his first LIV event of 2026. Ahead of his return, Mickelson’s team, HyFlyers GC, shared a video announcing and celebrating his return. The 3-time Masters winner quote-tweeted the post and shared an emotional message.

Phil Mickelson wrote:

“I’ve really missed seeing everyone and competing. I’m so excited to be back with the guys this week 👍👍”

You can check Mickelson’s tweet below:

Phil Mickelson’s return at LIV Golf South Africa comes at a proper time for him. In April, Mickelson will be one of the many talented golfers who will tee off at Augusta National Golf Club and aim to win The Masters.

LIV Golf South Africa could be the perfect training ground for Mickelson before The Masters. It will be interesting to see if Mickelson’s absence from the golf course will haunt him when he tees off in his first LIV event of the year in 2026.

Rory McIlroy recently credited Phil Mickelson for helping him win The Masters

The Masters 2025 was an emotional tournament for Rory McIlroy. In that edition of The Masters, McIlroy didn’t just win his first Masters title, but also completed his Career Grand Slam. The Northern Irishman became the sixth professional golfer in history to do so.

While nearly a year has passed since McIlroy won The Masters, he recently made an interesting revelation about how Phil Mickelson played a role in his victory. During a pre-tournament media call before the 2026 edition of the tournament at Augusta, McIlroy first recalled what Mickelson told him. He said:

“Rory, one of the reasons I love Augusta National is because I feel I can be so aggressive here.”

Then McIlroy added:

“I remember thinking, ‘What does he mean? I feel the opposite. I feel I can’t be aggressive here because there’s so many bad places to miss. But Phil had so much — still has, probably — faith in his short game that if he does miss an approach shot by being aggressive, he still feels he can get that ball up and down. I would say by becoming a better putter and by maybe working on my short game a little bit and becoming better around the greens, that probably allowed me to become more aggressive with my approach play at Augusta.”

A six-time Major winner, Phil Mickelson has won The Masters on three occasions (2004, 2006, 2010). However, unlike Rory McIlroy, Mickelson hasn’t completed his Career Grand Slam. The HyFlyers GC captain needs to win the US Open to do so.