Phil Mickelson remains a LIV Golf regular, but his playing days may be numbered.

The Hall of Famer hasn’t played much since his runner-up finish at the 2023 Masters, but he said he’s “realistic” about how much longer he plans to stay in the sport.

Phil Mickelson, now 54, said he\’ll be involved with LIV Golf for life.Phil Mickelson, now 54, said he\’ll be involved with LIV Golf for life. As the men’s professional golf world remains divided and there is no sign of when or if a resolution is imminent, Phil Mickelson has remained largely silent, reiterating his stance that the game is in a “disintegration” phase and that he hopes for a positive outcome.

But the original heckler again claimed some 30 months ago that he was unaware of ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which backs LIV Golf, despite remaining optimistic about the future of LIV Golf and his role in it.

But his involvement as a player has been a bit murky. Mickelson has also been quiet on the golf course, finishing tied for 43rd at the Masters and tied for 60th at the British Open, despite winning two of the four major championships.

And he’s only finished in the top 10 once, a sixth-place finish in Jeddah earlier this year, which was his only top 20 in 11 LIV events.Mickelson has largely refused to do pre-tournament interviews at majors, and R&A officials have not asked for a recall to play against 2016 winner (and fellow LIV contender) Henrik Stenson since the Open at Royal Troon resumed last month.

With two individual matches remaining, he is not in the Livgolf relegation zone, but that doesn’t matter: as captain of the High Flyers, he is exempt from relegation even if he finishes outside the top 49. He’s 44th.But at 54, it’s fair to wonder how Mickelson, a six-time Grand Slam winner, sees his competitive career progressing.

So I asked him last week during a conference call to promote the LIV Golf Chicago event next month.Mickelson clearly has every confidence in the HyFlyers team he leads, which includes Brendan Steele, Cameron Tringale and Andy Ogletree. And he’s been open about his own golf pursuits and where they might lead.”My involvement with the High Flyers is long-term, probably for the rest of my life,” Mickelson said.

“I am a shareholder and will have the opportunity to be heavily involved in the development of the team for decades to come, but when it comes to my career, I am realistic about where I am now. “I also had a unique opportunity. Physically, I was able to endure injuries and stay in the best possible condition to do something that nobody has done since I got older, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t play at the level I needed to.”I see glimpses of me, and my teammates see glimpses of me, that I expect I can compete at this level. But I’m also realistic with myself, and if I can’t do it, I’m going to stand aside and let someone else come and take the high flyers to the next level.

Mickelson has one year of eligibility left for the U.S. Open to win the 2021 PGA Championship. A player who wins six major championships is exempt from the British Open until he turns 60 and has lifetime exemptions from the Masters and PGA Championship.He has previously spoken of his desire to make more major tournament history, given the opportunity to keep playing since winning the PGA Tour at Kiawah Island three years ago, making him the oldest major champion at age 50.

But with the exception of a last-place finish at last year’s Masters, Mickelson hasn’t shown much spark in his game.It’s not for lack of trying. Longtime coach Andrew Getson accompanies him to nearly every tournament, and Mickelson seems to work just as well at home as he does at events.”It’s surprising when you look at the analytics, but it’s my short game that’s really been killing me the last couple of years,” said Mickelson, who ranks 48th out of 56 players in LIV’s scrimmage stats.

“I was the last in the fight for LIV. That has been the basis of my game throughout my career and in recent years it is the reason why I have not scored or achieved results. That’s what I was focusing on.”I finally had a nice little twist. If I have a good short game, I will be in.

But I lose four or five moves per round because of my short game, and that’s something I’m not used to, and that’s probably why it’s hard for me to overcome it.