Mickelson was one of the first players to make the move to LIV Golf in 2022 (Image: Getty Images)

Brendan Steele has candidly admitted that it didn’t take much to persuade him to abandon the PGA Tour for the lucrative LIV Golf series. The 41-year-old, who turned pro on the PGA Tour in 2011 and secured three victories there, made the switch to LIV Golf last February.

He joined Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC, becoming part of a growing exodus of players leaving the traditional tour for the controversial Saudi-backed league – which has attracted stars like Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Lee Westwood, and Dustin Johnson to name a few. Despite the backlash from golfing traditionalists against LIV Golf since its launch, the league has successfully poached some top-tier talent from the PGA Tour’s clutches.

And Steele revealed that a mere conversation with Mickelson was enough to convince him to make the leap, as he detailed his choice on the Fairway To Heaven podcast with Jerry Foltz and Su-Ann Heng. When asked about the decisive factor for his move, the HyFlyers pro explained: “So if I was ever going to come, it was always going to be with Phil and with Cameron [Tringale] – because Cameron has been a close friend of mine for a long time too.

“So we had been playing some golf together – the three of us – and Cameron had asked me, ‘Would you ever come?’ And I’m like, ‘If I was going to, it would be with you guys, so if there was ever an opportunity, I’d love to know about it’,” reports the Mirror.

“And Phil called and he just said, ‘Look, I wanted to run something by you before I went any different direction, I wasn’t sure if you would be interested or whatever’. We just talked it out and I thought this is too good an opportunity to pass up as far as picking Phil’s brain, travelling the world, having a team you know, like everything that lined up was like this is a perfect opportunity, I can’t pass on it.

“And then there’s still nerves and things you know, because I don’t know what it’s like out there. I haven’t played a LIV event, I haven’t seen one so I get to Mayakoba last year and I’m pretty nervous, and I’m pretty worried about what it’s all going to be like and everything, and I got comfortable really fast.”

Steele joined LIV Golf last year (Image: Getty Images)

“And everything was way better than I could have hoped for, more enjoyable and friendlier, and everybody that I saw was just so welcoming and there were a bunch of people – other than players that I already knew out there.” He added: “So many familiar faces and it was really easy to settle in. The opportunity to pay with Phil is too good to pass on, and Cameron being one of my best friends it was an easy choice.”

A titan in the golfing world, Mickelson turned heads when he became one of the first big names to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. He made the switch in 2022, boasting an impressive record of 45 PGA Tour victories and six major titles. Steele has already tasted victory with LIV Golf this season, edging out Louis Oosthuizen by just one shot to clinch the title at LIV Golf Adelaide in April.