What Is Phil Mickelson's Net Worth and Career Earnings?
Phil Mickelson is an American professional golfer who has a net worth of $300 million. Phil Mickelson is an incredibly successful golfer and belongs to the small minority of players in the history of golf to have won three of the four majors. During his career to date, Mickelson's career earnings top $800 million. In some years he has earned $80 to $100 million. In more recent years, he has earned $40 to $50 million, of which the vast majority comes from endorsements.
As of this writing, he has earned over $100 million in tournament money alone. That's second only to Tiger Woods.
Early Life
Philip Alfred Mickelson was born on June 16, 1970, in San Diego, California. His father, Philip Mickelson, was an airline pilot and former naval aviator. Mickelson was raised in San Diego and Scottsdale, Arizona. He learned golf from his father, mirroring his style. This is why he has a left-handed swing despite being right-handed in everyday life. Phil graduated from the University of San Diego High School in 1988.
Career Beginnings
Mickelson attended Arizona State University on a full golf scholarship and was immediately successful, competing at the collegiate level. In fact, he won three NCAA individual championships and three Haskins Awards in 1990, 1991, and 1992 for being selected the Outstanding College Golfer of the Year. In total, over his collegiate career, Phil won 16 tournaments, and he was the second collegiate golfer ever to earn first-team All-American honors four years in a row. He graduated from college in June 1992.
Professional Career
Mickelson has enjoyed a lot of success on and off the golf course. He won his first PGA tour event, the Northern Telecom Open, in 1991 while he was still an amateur. He was able to bypass the PGA tour's qualifying process thanks to his 1991 Tucson win and quickly turned pro after his college graduation. From 1999 to 2003, he clocked 17 top-ten finishes and six second- or third-place finishes, although he did not actually win any of the majors. His first major championship win came in 2004, during his thirteenth year on the PGA tour. In 2016, Mickelson underwent two sports hernia surgeries but made an unexpectedly quick recovery and returned triumphantly with a T-21 finish at the CareerBuilder Challenge. In 2019, he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was his 44th career title on the PGA Tour. It also made him the oldest winner of that event, at 48 years old. In December 2019, Phil announced that he would miss the Waste Management Phoenix Open for the first time since 1989 in favor of playing in the Saudi International golf tournament. At the Saudi Arabian event held in February 2020, he tied for third.
At the 2023 Masters, Mickelson had perhaps the performance of the tournament by beginning the final day ten shots behind the lead but finishing tied for second place. With a score of 65, Phil equaled his lowest score from Augusta almost 27 years prior.
He has won over 40 PGA events throughout his career, including four Major Championships—the 2004 Masters, the 2005 PGA Championship, the 2006 Masters, and the 2010 Masters. Today, he is one of the best and most popular professional golfers in the world.
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Endorsements and Earnings
During his career, Phil Mickelson has earned over $100 million in tournament prizes. As of this writing, his total career earnings top $1 billion. That includes the $200 million he earned from the Saudi-backed LIV league in June 2022, which we discuss in the next paragraph.
In a given year, he earns around roughly $40 to $50 million, of which $10 million comes from salary and tournament winnings, and an astonishing additional comes from $50 million in endorsements. With $87 million in tournament prizes, Mickelson is the second-ranked golfer in all-time career tournament winnings behind Tiger Woods, who has earned $110 million. He had been #3 in tournament earnings behind Vijay Singh ($70 million) until 2015.
Mickelson's biggest endorsements are with KPMG, ExxonMobil, Titleist, Ford, Enbrel, Callaway, Amgen, Grayhawk, Rolex, and Intrepid Financial Partners. After being treated for psoriatic arthritis with the drug Enbrel in 2010, he began endorsing the drug. He had an endorsement with Barclays that spanned 15 years but ended in 2016. Around the same time, he was named by the SEC as a "relief defendant" in an insider trading case. He was not charged with a crime. Between June 2017 and June 2018, Phil Mickelson earned $40 million from salary and endorsements. He earned approximately $50 million in the period between June 2018 and June 2019. That includes the $9 million that he won by defeating Tiger Woods in a head-to-head match-up.
Saudi League Controversy and Payday
In February 2022, Phil found himself in a bit of controversy related to a planned Saudi Golf League known as LIV. In an interview, he brought up various points about Saudi Arabia's human rights record while also agreeing that the new league presented a great business opportunity over the PGA. In the wake of the interview, Phil lost his longest and most valuable sponsor, KPMG.
The remarks apparently were not enough to deter the organizers of LIV, however. In June 2022, it was reported that Phil had signed a $200 million contract to join the LIV league.
Personal Life
Mickelson married his wife, Amy, in 1996. They have three children together: Amanda Brynn (born June 1999), Evan Samuel (born March 2003), and Sophia Isabel (born October 2001).
Real Estate
In 1999, Phil and Amy paid $1.65 million for a home in La Jolla, California. They sold this house in 2012 for $2.745 million.
For many years, Phil and his family called Rancho Santa Fe, California, home. In 2001, they paid around $6 million for a 4.55-acre property. They listed it for sale in 2008 for a lofty $12.2 million. They ultimately accepted $5.725 million in January 2015.
In January 2020, Phil bought an undeveloped lot in Jupiter, Florida, for an undisclosed amount. His nearby neighbors will include Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan.
Mickelson Private Golf
Outside of personal real estate, Phil and a group of investors own around six golf courses in Arizona. They offer private memberships for an annual fee.
