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Phil Mickelson made a major decision about his golf career as misconduct allegations mount. Here’s what happened and what it means.
Phil Mickelson has pulled out of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, his camp confirmed, as a Skratch investigation by writer Alan Shipnuck detailed a pattern of alleged inappropriate conduct stretching back more than a decade.
Mickelson’s decision marks a major moment in his decorated golf career, as 2026 will now become the first year in which the six-time major winner has failed to appear in any of the four major tournaments.
The Open withdrawal decision was reportedly made around June 18, roughly two weeks before it became public, but the timing coincided with the publication of the Shipnuck report, which revealed that Mickelson had suddenly departed or been removed from three separate golf clubs since 2021.
Mickelson’s Open Withdrawal Completes Unprecedented 2026
Mickelson, 56, won the Claret Jug at Muirfield in 2013 and entered Royal Birkdale’s field as a past champion. The exit is the first Open he will miss since 2009, when he skipped Turnberry to be with his wife, Amy, during her breast cancer treatment, according to a Telegraph report.
In 2026, Mickelson missed the Masters, citing a family health matter, according to CBS Sports‘ Patrick McDonald. He withdrew from the PGA Championship at Aronimink, according to Yahoo Sports‘ Ryan Young, and was absent from the U.S. Open, where his five-year exemption from the 2021 PGA Championship had expired and the USGA did not extend a special invitation.
A spokesperson offered the same explanation for the Open.
“Phil continues to attend to a family health matter and is uncertain when he will be able to return to professional golf,” according to Golf Digest‘s Joel Beall and Tod Leonard.
GettyPat Perez and his wife, Ashley Perez, are shown at a golf event.
Phil Mickelson Misconduct Allegations
Golf Digest reported in June that Mickelson had been removed midround from The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, following accusations of nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with a female employee. Club officials confronted him on the course and told him to leave before finishing his round.
“This individual is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club,” the club said. A Mickelson spokesperson confirmed he had resigned.
The golfer’s attorney, Tom Clare, disputed the account, claiming the events were “squarely contradicted by objective, video evidence.” The club countered that no cameras existed in the relevant area. No criminal complaint was filed.
The Shipnuck report drew on 19 sources and independent fact-checking. A central allegation involves a 2015 incident at The Barclays tournament. Ashley Perez, then married to tour veteran Pat Perez, told Shipnuck that Mickelson showed her an explicit photo of himself and then propositioned her while Pat stepped away from the table during dinner. She said she told her husband of the alleged incident after the tournament concluded.
Pat Perez addressed the incident during a 2022 podcast.
“Phil crossed the line with me that is just uncrossable and unforgivable,” he said. “He apologized for the action, but I cannot forgive him.” Mickelson later called to apologize and, in a recorded conversation, said he was “disgusted and embarrassed” in himself, as quoted by Shipnuck in Skratch.
Ashley Perez explained why she spoke on the record.
“There is a culture of silence that keeps women from coming forward,” she said, as quoted by Shipnuck. “With Phil, you’re dealing with an egotistical narcissist. Phil will keep going until he gets caught. If Phil’s behavior is ever going to change, he has to understand the trauma he has caused.”
Clare’s response declined to contest individual claims directly.
“Some of the allegations circulating about Mr. Mickelson are false, and others revisit mistakes he has already acknowledged, publicly or privately,” the attorney’s statement read. “Stacking the disputed claims next to the ones he has owned does not make them credible.”
No criminal charges have been filed in connection with any of the allegations in the reporting.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist who covers MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, boxing, golf, and Olympic sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Newspaper and Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering the Olympics, pro baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
