Phil Mickelson is no stranger to making headlines on the golf course. But, the headlines he made at PGA WEST on Sunday following the final round of the Humana Challenge had nothing to do with the way he played.
Mickelson vowed to make "drastic changes" in his life because of the federal and state taxes he is paying, and he confirmed that his decision to not buy an interest in the San Diego Padres was directly related to his financial situation.
Tod Leonard of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports:
"I'll probably talk more in depth next week (at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines). I'm not going to jump the gun," Mickelson said. "There are going to be some drastic changes. I happen to be in the (tax) zone that is targeted both federally and by the state, and it doesn’t work for me right now."
Mickelson, 42, was responding to a question about why, in a conference call last Monday, he referred to “what’s gone on the last couple of months, politically,” when talking about the semi-retirement of fellow tour pro Steve Stricker.
"I think we're all going to have to find things that work for us," Mickelson said on the call. "I think we're all going to have our own kind of way of handling things, handling time in our career, handling what's gone on the last couple of months politically. I think we're all going to have to find things that work for us."
Asked if there was a correlation between his views and his withdrawal from interest in the Padres, Mickelson said, "Yeah, absolutely."
So what prompted Mickelson's comments?
In November, California voters approved Proposition 30, which imposed a 13.3 percent tax rate for incomes of more than $1 million -- a percentage increase of 29.13 percent over the previous "millionaires" tax of 10.3 percent.
As of June 2012, Forbes Magazine ranked Mickelson as the seventh-highest paid athlete in sports, with on-course earnings and endorsements totaling $47.8 million.
"If you add up all of the federal and you look at disibility and unemployment and the social security and the state, my tax rate is 62, 63 percent," Mickelson said Sunday. "So I've got to make some decisions about what I'm going to do."
The options for Mickelson would seem to be to move to a state with lower taxes or go into some form of retirement.
Time will tell, but it would seem fans will have little sympathy for Mickelson.
To read Leonard's entire report, click here.
Follow T.J. Auclair on Twitter, @tj_auclair.
