When Phil Mickelson slammed those who believed he grew up with a silver spoon: "I wasn't a country-club kid"

LIV Golf star, Phil Mickelson, has had a tremendously successful career since he turned pro and is now worth $300 million per celebrity net worth. In an interview that resurfaced recently, the 45-time PGA Tour winner shut down the misconception that he has always been from a privileged background.

Mickelson has won six major championship events with multiple victories in all the majors except the U.S. Open. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and has received the Jack Nicklaus award three times. After playing for thirty years on the PGA Tour, he jumped ship and now plays on the Saudi-backed league, LIV Golf.

In 2009, Phil Mickelson was interviewed by Golf Digest. During the lengthy conversation, the American golfer answered a series of questions about his life, career and background.

During the said interview, the interviewer asked the 11-time European Tour winner to confirm if the perception that he grew up “with a silver spoon” was wrong or right. Mickelson replied saying that it was “absolutely wrong” because his mother had to work two jobs to support his junior golf career. He added via Golf Digest:

“When I was 8, I started working on a driving range, picking up balls. Golf was too expensive then, but if I worked at the range, I could practice for free. So, no, I wasn't a country-club kid. But I had fun, and I appreciate everything I have now, believe me.”

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Phil Mickelson has earned over $100 million from playing in golf tournaments alone. This places him as the golfer with the second-highest tournament earnings, behind Tiger Woods, who has earned $110 million from tournamemts.

Mickelson has also secured multiple profitable endorsement deals with top brands such as Rolex, Titleist, Ford, Barclays and Callaway.

How many LIV Golf titles has Phil Mickelson claimed this year?

Phil Mickelson has teed off in six LIV Golf tournaments this year but is yet to secure his first win. He was absent from the seaon opener at Riyadh, due to a minor shoulder injury, but later made his first start of the year in Adelaide, where he placed T23.

The California-born golfer finished at 50th positon in Korea, marking his worst LIV Golf performance of the year. His best result was at Hong Kong, where he placed third position after finishing with 14-under. He also performed spectacularly in Miami, placing in sixth position with one-under. Notably, he has yet to win a LIV Golf tournament, since he has joined the laegue.

In addditon to LIV tournaments, Phil Mickelson competed in the 2025 Masters at Augusta National where he attempted to secure his seventh major championship title. However, the LIV Golf star had a disiappointing outing as he scored 75-74 in the first two rounds and finished with five-over, missing the the cut.