The 5 players who could follow Phil Mickelson in quitting LIV Golf for backroom roles

Phil Mickelson has suggested he could soon step away from LIV Golf as a playing member and lead his team from outside the ropes after a difficult season, and the HyFlyers captain is not the only one

Phil Mickelson has dropped a fresh hint that his iconic career could soon come to an end amid a difficult season for the LIV Golf star, and he is not the only member of the breakaway circuit who could move into a backroom role.

The 54-year-old was a founding member of the Saudi Arabia-funded league in 2022, but he is yet to claim a victory and has just one top-10 finish this season. That came in Jeddah back in March, with his form declining dramatically and he sits 44th in the standings out of 56 players with just two events remaining in the campaign.

Mickelson is not blind to the fact that his best days on the course are behind him, and ahead of next week’s event at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, the HyFlyers team captain said he knows he will have to step aside if his form does not improve.

“I see glimpses and my teammates see glimpses of me being where I expect to be able to compete at this level, but I’m also realistic with myself, and if I’m not able to I’ll step aside and let somebody come on in and take the HyFlyers to new levels,” Mickelson said.

“I’m in every major on the regular tour next year, and I’ll be in three of the four majors for the next six, seven years. I would love to compete and give myself a chance to win in those, and I also want to build this out and create a culture that is sustainable and that people strive to be a part of.

“How I do that, whether it’s internally as a player and so forth, or whether it’s strictly from the outside, I’m going to be intricately involved with the HyFlyers going forward probably the rest of my life, and then my playing career I’ll be realistic where I’m at, too.”

Mickelson signed a deal worth in the region of £150million when he jumped ship from the PGA Tour, and he also owns an equity stake in the HyFlyers, meaning his interest in the team will last beyond his playing days.

There is potential for the six-time major champion to become a non-playing captain and general manager of his team when he does decide to call it a day, and he is not the only member of the league that could have the same decision to make.