LIV Golf star unveiled as one of four golfers on ESPN’s top 100 athletes of 21st century list, beats Rory McIlroy in ranking

LIV golf star Phil Mickelson has found himself on ESPN's list of the 100 Greatest Athletes of the 21st Century. The veteran is placed 68th on the list, ahead of notable players like Rory McIlroy.

A few days ago, ESPN announced a list of the 100 greatest athletes of the 21st century. The list includes many stalwarts from various sports who broke multiple records in this century. The criteria focused on their performance in this century, not their overall careers.

Mickelson is only behind Tiger Woods (8th) among the golfers on the list. This is somewhat similar to his career trajectory, where he was often second to the 15-time major champion during this period. In this century, he won 29 PGA Tour titles and six major championships, making him the second-most successful golfer of this era.

Mickelson also became the oldest major champion when he claimed the 2021 PGA Championship at the age of 50 years, 11 months, and 7 days. Later that year, the lefty became one of the first names to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit, starting a new chapter in professional golf.

The ESPN list of the top 100 Greatest Athletes of the 21st century includes only four golfers. While Woods (8th) is the only one in the top ten, Annika Sorenstam (89th) of Sweden is the only female golfer on the list. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland is ranked 93rd on the list.

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, who has won 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold, is listed as the greatest athlete of the 21st century. He also holds the record for most gold medals in a single Olympics, with eight at Beijing in 2008.

Tennis legend Serena Williams, with 23 Grand Slam titles, holds the second spot, followed by soccer legend Lionel Messi, basketball great LeBron James, and tennis superstar Roger Federer, respectively.

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Is LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson competing at the 2024 Olympics?

Phil Mickelson is not competing in the 2024 Olympics as he couldn't make the cut. For the uninitiated, only the top 60 ranked players in the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR) have qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024, and the LIV Golfer is not among the top-ranked American golfers.

Golf was reintroduced to the Olympics only in 2016, and the lefty was not ranked high enough to qualify. A similar situation occurred in 2020 and again in 2024. This year, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, and Wyndham Clark are the four golfers representing the U.S. in Paris.