Phil Mickelson Laughs off at PGA Tour’s New Returning Member Program Cutoff Following Brooks Koepka’s Reinstatement

Phil Mickelson would laugh off at the new PGA Tour Returning Member Program and made his feelings known following Brooks Koepka's return.

Phil Mickelson Laughs off at PGA Tour’s New Returning Member Program Cutoff Following Brooks Koepka’s Reinstatement

Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson (Image via PGA Tour/Imago)

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On Monday, Brooks Koepka once again became a member of the PGA Tour. Following the establishment of the Returning Member Program, the 5-time major champion was reinstated on the tour. In the midst of this, Phil Mickelson would laugh off at the cutoff of this program.

Koepka, who was one of the high-profile names to leave the tour and join LIV Golf, stunned the world following his departure from the Saudi-backed tour in December last month. After his exit, there was speculation regarding a return to the tour.

The PGA Tour would release a major statement on Monday. CEO Brian Rolapp would announce the establishment of the one-time Returning Member Program.

As per this program, players who have been away from the tour for at least 2 years and have won The Players Championship, Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open or the Open Championship from 2022 to 2025, were eligible to return to the tour.

Koepka, who won the PGA Championship in 2023 at the Oak Hill Country Club would thus become eligible to return.

The timeline provided to be eligible for this program raised some questions on social media. While the tour could argue that the timeline provided is from when LIV Golf played its first season in 2022, some users claimed that it should have a 5-year period instead of this.

As a result of this, other golfers who are eligible to return are Cameron Smith, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. Smith won the Open Championship in July 2022, a month before his move to LIV Golf.

Rahm won the Masters Tournament in 2023 while he was still a member of the PGA Tour. The Spaniard finished ahead of Koepka to win the green jacket. Meanwhile, DeChambeau clinched his 2nd major title by beating Rory McIlroy in the final round of the 2024 U.S. Open.

One name that is not eligible for this program is Phil Mickelson. While the “Lefty” won the PGA Championship in 2021, he will not be allowed to return as the period to return starts from 2022.

Mickelson would laugh off this cutoff. The golfer, who is highly active on X, would drop some laughing and clapping emojis.

Golf Digest would also point this out. Mickelson would react to their post as well and dropped similar laughing emojis.

Mickelson is one of the most successful golfers in PGA Tour history. Having joined the tour in 1992, he would spend 30 seasons with them and claimed 45 PGA Tour wins, ranking him 8th in the list of most wins.

Phil Mickelson recently lauded Anthony Kim for earning his way back to LIV Golf

On Sunday, Phil Mickelson was full of praise for Anthony Kim. The 55-year-old lauded the 3-time PGA Tour winner for earning his way back to LIV Golf following a tough season last year, which resulted in his relegation.

Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim
Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim (Image via Imago/Sports Illustrated)

Kim, who made his dramatic return to professional golf after 12 years, suffered relegation last season. The golfer struggled throughout the season as he tried to shake off his rust.

In the past few outings, Kim’s performances have improved a bit. This past weekend, the 2008 Ryder Cup winner was taking part in the LIV Golf Promotions Event. After an opening round score of 66, he fired a score of 69.

With a 5-under par score, Kim secured a third-place finish and captured a wild card spot for the upcoming 2026 season.

Mickelson seemed pleased with Kim’s triumph and applauded him on X. In a post, the veteran golfer called his comeback a “truly inspirational” story.

AK gets his life back and now his golf game is back. He’s on LIV Golf for 2026. Congratulations! Truly Inspirational

Phil Mickelson on Anthony Kim on X

Kim was once heralded as the next Tiger Woods. Following injuries, he would vanish from the scene in 2012 and take retirement from golf. Upon his return in 2024, he opened up about the mental health issues he faced during this time.

He and Mickelson will tee off at LIV Golf Riyadh in Saudi Arabia next month. This will be the first LIV Golf tournament to feature 72 holes as the league adapted this format in the offseason.

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