Report: Phil Mickelson expelled from golf club after alleged inappropriate physical contact with female staffer
Phil Mickelson, once one of America’s most popular and notable athletes, has been accused of inappropriate conduct at a San Diego area golf club, and has been removed from the club, according to a report in Golf Digest.
Mickelson is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club near San Diego, according to Golf Digest, after an alleged incident this past spring. A female employee accused Mickelson of, in Golf Digest’s words, “nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact” prior to a round. The employee reported the incident to supervisors, according to the report, and club officials confronted Mickelson in the middle of his golf round. He was asked to leave and departed the club before finishing his round, per the report.
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The Farms provided a statement to Golf Digest that included the following: “Following a staff member report of member misconduct, the Club provided immediate and ongoing support to the staff member, conducted a thorough independent investigation of the incident and took decisive action. This individual is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club.” Multiple Golf Digest sources indicated that the “individual” was Mickelson.
A spokesman for Mickelson gave the following statement to Golf Digest: “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.”
According to the report, Mickelson has retained noted defamation attorney Tom Clare, who told Golf Digest the description of events is “squarely contradicted by objective, video evidence.” However, Golf Digest reports that, according to The Farms, there is no camera footage of the alleged incident.
Clare later provided Golf Digest with the following statement:
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“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.”
Mickelson, 55, has played in only one tournament on the LIV Golf tour this year because of what he and his camp have repeatedly termed a private health matter involving a family member. He did not play in either the Masters or the PGA Championship, for which he retains eligibility, and is not in the field for next week’s U.S. Open, the only major tournament he has not won. He would need a special exemption to play, since his exemption for his 2021 PGA Championship win has run out.
The arc of Mickelson’s career has been strange and fascinating. Once the game’s most popular player and a favorite in the gallery, the six-time major winner’s presence and aura have diminished significantly in the wake of his 2022 defection to LIV Golf. While he still plays in the majors where he’s eligible, he’s virtually invisible, walking with small galleries. He’s missed the cut at nine of the 14 majors he’s played since joining LIV, including three of four last year.
