Phil Mickelson has spent most of this season away from professional golf because of a family health emergency. Despite being one of the most regular professionals on LIV Golf since 2022, he has played only one event this season. In fact, he has already missed three majors this season and has announced his withdrawal from the Open Championship, too.

A fan community account on X reported that Lefty “won’t play The Open at Birkdale and will miss all 4 major championships this year.”

This will be the first time since 2009 that Phil Mickelson won’t play the final men’s major of the season. The Open holds special significance for the six-time major champion, who has often described it as the most fulfilling victory of his career.

“The greatest challenge that I faced in my career was developing the skills to win at links golf and win The Open Championship,” Phil Mickelson said in an interview with The Open.

He revealed that it took him two decades of learning and practice to finally win the major in 2013. He even went on to say that he arguably played the best round of his career that week. Mickelson arrived at Muirfield fresh off a victory at the Scottish Open before lifting the Claret Jug, one of the defining moments of his career. But there was something even more special about that victory.

After he hit the final putt for a birdie on the 18th of the last round, his family was standing right next to the green. As he won, he turned to his wife, Amy, and their three kids for a group hug.

That’s not just it because it was only one of the many family moments Lefty has had during his time on the PGA Tour. Phil Mickelson has long been considered a family man, and for many reasons. For one, he announced ahead of the 1999 US Open that if Amy went into labor, he would withdraw from the major to be with her. Although his caddie carried a beeper for that purpose, he was able to complete his round.

“There’s nothing greater than being a father,” he said about skipping the event. “It’s one of those things where you just need to be there.”

This season, he again cited a private family health matter as the reason for stepping away from competitive golf. However, while his absence has consistently been attributed to family reasons, recent investigative reports have brought renewed attention to allegations regarding his conduct away from the course.

It is worth noting, however, that Mickelson’s decision to withdraw from The Open was made on June 18, before the latest allegations published by Skratch became public. The timing means there is no evidence that the withdrawal itself was connected to the report.

Golf Digest, in an exclusive report, stated that Phil Mickelson is no longer a member at The Farms Golf Club outside San Diego. According to the publication, Mickelson resigned his membership after a female club employee accused him of making “nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact.” The woman declined to participate on the record, and Golf Digest withheld her identity to protect her privacy.

Mickelson’s attorney, Tom Clare, disputed the characterization of the incident, describing it as a “misunderstanding” that had been “cleared up.” He also maintained that Mickelson voluntarily resigned his membership.

Separate from the Golf Digest investigation, author Alan Shipnuck published a report based on 19 interviews that detailed additional allegations involving Mickelson’s past conduct. One of the incidents involved Ashley Perez, the former wife of fellow golfer Pat Perez.

According to Ashley Perez, during the 2015 Barclays Championship, Mickelson invited the couple to stay at his villa in New York. While Pat Perez briefly stepped away from the dinner table, Ashley alleged that Mickelson showed her an explicit photograph of himself and made an unwanted advance.

“Phil says to me, ‘I’m going to leave my bedroom door open tonight. When Pat falls asleep, I want you to come see me,'” Ashley claimed.

Ashley said she chose not to tell her then-husband immediately because she did not want to distract him during the tournament. Pat Perez later alluded to the incident during a 2022 podcast appearance, saying Mickelson had “crossed the line” and that the relationship between the two could not be repaired.

Through attorney Tom Clare, Mickelson strongly disputed the broader allegations contained in Shipnuck’s report. Clare said some of the claims were “outright false,” while others revisited mistakes Mickelson had already acknowledged publicly or privately.

“Stacking the disputed claims next to the ones he has owned does not make them credible,” Clare said. “It instead contributes to a false and misleading narrative.” He added that Mickelson’s current priority remains “to become the husband, father, and man his family deserves,” while focusing his full attention on the family’s private health matter.

The recent reports have undoubtedly brought renewed scrutiny to Mickelson’s public image. But despite the attention surrounding the allegations, the only stated reason for his prolonged absence from professional golf remains the private family health matter that he and his representatives first disclosed earlier this season.