Mickelson is officially listed as a “Former Non-Playing Champion” on the Masters website.
At the end of February, the 51-year-old apologized for his comments about the Saudi-backed breakaway golf tournament, saying they were unpublishable – a claim he was denied by the reporter who interviewed him – and shared out of context and without his consent.
The Saudi-backed Golf League is a proposed project that attempts to lure golfers away from the sport’s main tours – the PGA Tour and DP World Tour – with big financial offers.
Mickelson was quoted from a 2021 interview with author Alan Shipnock about his book, Phil: The Rip-Roaring Biography (and Unauthorized!) Once in a lifetime to reshape how the PGA Tour works.”
The American was also quoted as saying that “the Saudi money finally gave us (the players) that leverage” to be able to turn things around on the PGA.
Mickelson apologized for his “reckless” comments and said he would take a break from golf “to prioritize those I love most and work on being the man I want to be.”
A number of notable golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, have confirmed their commitment to the PGA Tour since his comments, with Mickelson also losing a number of sponsors.
The Masters tournament begins on April 7 with Hideki Matsuyama as the defending champion.