Many professional athletes, including California-born Tiger Woods, live in Florida, where there is no state income tax. Woods holds the money-winning record for the PGA Tour, with $101 million in career purses.
“I moved out of here in ’96 for that reason,” Woods said in a pre-tournament press conference for this week’s U.S. PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines golf club in San Diego, California. “I understand what he was, I think, trying to say.”
Forbes magazine ranked Mickelson the seventh highest-paid athlete in 2012 with $47.8 million in earnings, including $43 million in endorsements from sponsors, including the accounting firm KPMG LLP and Barclays Plc, Britain’s second-largest bank. He’s won $67.7 million in prize money during his PGA Tour career.
In December, Mickelson withdrew his ownership interest in Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres. Asked after his final round at Humana if the new tax laws affected that decision, Mickelson said, “Yeah, absolutely.”
‘Intelligent Decisions’
“Right now, I’m like many Americans who are trying to understand the new tax laws,” he said in today’s statement. “I’ve been learning a lot over the last few months and talking with people who are trying to help me make intelligent and informed decisions. I certainly don’t have a definitive plan at this time, but like everyone else I want to make decisions that are best for my future and my family.”
A San Diego native, Mickelson will play this week at Torrey Pines near his hometown. He originally said he planned to address his recent comments during a press conference tomorrow before deciding to issue today’s statement.
“I absolutely love what I do,” he said. “I love and appreciate the game of golf and the people who surround it. I’m as motivated as I’ve ever been to work on my game, to compete and to win championships.”