Phil Mickelson to return to golf at first Saudi-backed LIV event, beginning Thursday in London

After a four-month hiatus, Phil Mickelson is returning to competitive golf on the new LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Mickelson, a six-time major champion winner, was added to the field on Monday for LIV Golf's first event, which is scheduled to start Thursday at Centurion Club outside London.

«Phil Mickelson is unequivocally one of the greatest golfers of this generation,» LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said in a statement. «His contributions to the sport and connection to fans around the globe cannot be overstated and we are grateful to have him. He strengthens an exciting field for London where we're proud to launch a new era for golf.»

Mickelson, who hasn't played on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in late January, joins a 48-man field that also includes two-time major winners Dustin Johnson and Martin Kaymer, as well as four other major winners: Sergio Garcia (2017 Masters), Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters), Graeme McDowell (2010 U.S. Open) and Louis Oosthuizen (2010 Open Championship).

Mickelson skipped the Masters and the PGA Championship, an event he won last year, after his controversial comments about the PGA Tour's «obnoxious greed» and the Saudi Arabian financiers of LIV Golf caused a firestorm. The LIV Golf series is being fronted by Norman, a former world No. 1 golfer and a two-time Open champion, and financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

On May 11, the PGA Tour denied conflicting-event releases to players who requested them to play at Centurion Club. Tour commissioner Jay Monahan told player agents at last week's Memorial in Columbus, Ohio, that players had to choose between the tour and LIV Golf and couldn't play on both circuits. Monahan has threatened