Phil Mickelson is not competing in the Masters this year for the first time since 1994, and there has been some speculation that the organizers of the tournament asked him to stay away. That is not the case.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley addressed Mickelson’s absence during Ridley’s annual press conference on Wednesday. He said it was Mickelson’s decision to not attend.
“We did not disinvite Phil,” Ridley said, via Joel Beall of Golf Digest. “He is a three-time Masters champion … Phil reached out to me, I think in late February, early March and let me know he did not intend to play. That was by way of text. I thanked him for his courtesy of letting me know.”
That would have been around the same time Mickelson announced he was stepping away from golf in the wake of his controversial comments about the Saudi-backed golf circuit. He has not been visible on the PGA Tour for over a month now.
Mickelson drew a great deal of backlash after an interview was released in February that featured him bashing the PGA Tour and trying to drum up interest in a professional golf league in Saudi Arabia. The 51-year-old admitted the Saudis were dangerous people to get involved with and that they have a negative history with human rights. However, he said he would still use them as leverage to get the PGA Tour to possibly make some changes.
Mickelson has since apologized and lost some sponsors. Other golfers have distanced themselves from him.
The Masters won’t feel the same without Mickelson, who has won the event three times. He has a lifetime invitation to the tournament as a past champion, so perhaps he will play again at some point in the future.
Photo: May 23, 2021; Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA; Phil Mickelson gives a thumbs up to the fans while walking on the 2nd hole fairway during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports
