Phil Mickelson will miss all four majors for the first time in his professional career, after his name disappeared from the Open Championship field and moved to the non-playing portion of exempt players.
The change closes the door on a tournament he won in 2013 at Muirfield, where past champions can remain eligible until age 60. It also extends a year in which Mickelson has barely appeared in competition.
A season that never really got going
Mickelson’s only competitive start this year came in mid-March at LIV Golf’s South Africa event, where he tied for 48th. Before that, he said on social media that he would miss LIV’s first two events because he and his wife Amy needed to be present for a family health matter.
He then skipped the Masters in April for the same reason, saying he would be “out for an extended period of time.” Mickelson also withdrew from the PGA Championship and was not given a special invitation to the U.S. Open.
What his Open exit means
This will be the first time Mickelson has missed the Open since 2009, when he pulled out to be with Amy during cancer treatments. The latest absence adds another striking line to a major championship career that has usually guaranteed his presence on golf’s biggest stages.
| Event | Status | Notable Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Masters | Missed | He said he would be out for an extended period of time |
| PGA Championship | Withdrew | No return timetable was given |
| U.S. Open | Not invited | He was not extended a special invitation |
| Open Championship | Not in field | Moved to the non-playing portion of exempt players |
Earlier this month, Golf Digest reported that Mickelson is no longer a member of his hometown club, the Farms outside San Diego, after a female club employee accused the six-time major champion of making nonconsensual, inappropriate contact with her before a round of golf.
Mickelson declined invitations to comment directly on the allegations. A spokesperson said, “Any misunderstanding has been cleared up. Phil continues to attend to a family health matter and is uncertain when he will be able to return to professional golf.”
His defamation lawyer, Tom Clare, also told Golf Digest, “There is a great deal of misinformation circulating and, while Phil’s full attention is devoted to a private family health matter, he has retained defamation counsel and is determined to hold accountable any publication or individual trafficking in speculation or false rumors.”
Other past champions not in the Open field at Royal Birkdale include Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson and Ernie Els. Dustin Johnson also pulled out of Open local qualifying earlier this weekend, while Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion.
The Open begins July 16, and Mickelson’s absence means one of golf’s most familiar major contenders will not be in the draw when the championship starts.