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Phil Mickelson's newest addition to his LIV Golf team is struggling early.
Golfer Phil Mickelson faces an uncertain future in golf as he continues to navigate an unspecified health issue with his wife, an issue that had already sidelined him before facing new allegations of misconduct and could lead to an indefinite absence from the sport.
Golf Digest reported last week that Mickelson was accused of inappropriate contact with a female employee at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, his home club for decades. Mickelson was reportedly asked to leave the club in the middle of a round after the employee reported the incident, and he has not been allowed to return.
Phil Mickelson Remains Sidelined Indefinitely
While Mickelson has vehemently denied the allegations, it remains unclear when he could return to the golf course as a spokesperson said the family is still going through a health issue.
In a statement to Golf Digest in the original story, a spokesperson for Mickelson said the 55-year-old golfer “continues to attend to a family health matter and is uncertain when he will be able to return to professional golf.”
Mickelson first shared news of the health issue earlier this year, when he took time off the LIV tour and skipped the Masters. He mentioned his wife, Amy, in an announcement, but did not give any details about who was suffering the health crisis or exactly what it entailed.
In a follow-up statement to Golf Digest, attorney Tom Clare reiterated that Mickelson was still focused on the family health crisis while also exploring legal options to hit back at the allegations.
Phil Mickelson’s Return to PGA Tour Deemed Unlikely Even Before Allegations
Even before the allegations emerged against Mickelson, some golf insiders believed it would be difficult for him to return to the PGA Tour. Mickelson had a messy split as he left for LIV, which longtime ESPN reporter Trey Wingo said would make it nearly impossible for him to return.
“I can promise you one person that you’ll never see in any way in an official capacity with the PGA Tour is Phil Mickelson,” Wingo said in an interview with Awful Announcing. “That bridge has been burned, detonated, destroyed, nuked, lasered to death. There is no building that bridge back.”
Golfer Horschel added that Mickelson’s remarks about the PGA Tour would also make the split permanent.
“I don’t see a road for Phil Mickelson back to the PGA Tour, even though he’s a lifetime member and he’s done a lot,” Billy Horschel remarked on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, per HITC.com. “I think there is a lot of stuff that he said he did and certain things behind the scenes before LIV came about that mean it’s just not going to work out for him.”
Horschel added that he doesn’t believe Mickelson would want to return to the PGA Tour.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty