By Matt Smith
After all the Phil Mickelson furore, the man himself has opened up about what he has been up to over the past four months. And it seems he is putting family first.

The American 51-year-old stepped away from the spotlight ahead of his expected PGA Championship title defence last month, choosing instead to stay around his family.

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After his misguided comments and his attempt to take the PGA to task and leverage better conditions and money for players, Mickelson took some time out from the game and from the very heated spotlight.

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“I have had an awesome time,” he said following his dramatic self-imposed exile and recent return at the LIV Golf Invitational Series in London.

But with a laid-back posture, leather jacket on and a bit of a stubble, this was now a man who seemed to be back at ease with the world.

“I’ve had an opportunity to spend time with my wife [Amy] and travel to parts of the world. We spent time skiing at a place we have in Montana. We hiked in Sedona. What a beautiful place that is. I’ve had time to continue some of the therapy in areas of my life that have been deficient. It’s given me time to reflect on what I want to do going forward and what is best for me. And best for the people I care about.

“I went to my nephew’s little league games,” he continued. “I haven’t had a chance to do that my whole life. I went to my niece’s lacrosse games. I haven’t had a chance to do that either. This is an opportunity for me to still have golf in my life, but also have a balance where I can be more present. I can be more 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.”

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