Phil Mickelson has said playing in the LIV Golf Invitational Series will provide more "balance" to his life and insisted he has no plans to resign from the PGA Tour.
Mickelson, 51, is ending his self-imposed exile from competitive golf when he takes part in the inaugural LIV Series event at Centurion Club in London on Thursday. The American has not played since competing at the Saudi International in February, opting to take a break after comments were made public in which he said he was using the new Saudi Arabia-backed series as leverage against the PGA Tour.
During that hiatus, Mickelson missed the Masters for the first time in 28 years before skipping his PGA Championship title defence last month, having become the oldest male major champion in history with his triumph at Kiawah.
Addressing the media for the first time since announcing his participation in the LIV Series, Mickelson explained why he was drawn to the tour and discussed his time away from golf.
"I've had an awesome time. I've had a four-month break from the game which I've not had in over three decades," the six-time major winner said on Wednesday. "I've had an opportunity to spend time with my wife Amy and travel parts of the world. It's given me time to reflect on what I want to do going forward and what's best for me and the people I care about.
"This is an opportunity that still allows me to have golf in my life but also have a balance where I can be more present and engaged with the people I really care about. That is why, when I think about being a part of LIV Golf, I feel so good about it.
"I love this game of golf," Mickelson added. "I've seen the good it's done and I see the opportunity for LIV Golf to do a lot of good for the game throughout the world, so I'm excited to be a part of this opportunity."
While the likes of Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, and Kevin Na officially resigned from the PGA Tour to play in the LIV Golf Series, Mickelson said he has no plans to follow suit.
However, as a PGA Tour lifetime member, Mickelson's situation is unique among the 48 players committed to the LIV Series. Lifetime membership is awarded to golfers who have won 20 or more PGA events and have played on the tour for over 15 years, meaning Mickelson does not have to meet the criteria of playing at least 15 tournaments per season to retain his card.
"I saw [other players resign], and I think they're making the decision that they believe is best for them professionally and I respect that," Mickelson said. "As a lifetime member, I'm not required to play 15 events, I don't have to play any, so I don't see the reason why I should give that up."
By retaining his PGA membership, Mickelson hopes he can still be involved in the Ryder Cup, but said: "That's not the reason for me to maintain my membership - it's because I've earned it. I believe all players should have the right to play whenever and wherever they want, which is consistent with being an independent contractor."
Having missed the first two majors of the season, Mickelson will play at next week's US Open at Brookline. "I'm looking forward to it," he said.
Ian Poulter also spoke to the media on Wednesday and admitted deciding to join the LIV Series could jeopardise his future Ryder Cup plans.
Poulter, 46, has become synonymous with the Ryder Cup and many of the Englishman's finest career achievements have occurred at the biennial Europe v United States team tournament.
Asked if he was putting his Ryder Cup future at risk, Poulter replied: "We don't know, I'm interested to see how it plays out. All the golf I've played around the world and different tours that I've played on, I don't see why this should be any different, but it's an unknown risk."
