Phil Mickelson misses 2026 golf season amid addiction treatment and misconduct allegations

Phil Mickelson checked himself into a facility earlier this year "seeking treatment for family trauma and addiction," according to a statement from his representatives provided to multiple outlets.

Mickelson is no longer at the facility but missed the majority of the 2026 golf season, playing in just one LIV Golf event in South Africa and skipping all four major championships -- three of which he had exemptions to play in.

Mickelson initially cited a "family health matter" for his early season absence from LIV Golf, and released a statement saying he and his family were navigating a "personal health matter" in his statement confirming he would not participate in the Masters in April.

In June, reports indicated Mickelson had lost membership at his longtime club in Rancho Santa Fe, The Farms Golf Club, after allegedly making inappropriate, non-consensual contact with a female employee. The Farms did not name Mickelson but confirmed an incident occurred and a member was removed.

Mickelson's attorney denied the allegations against him and said "any misunderstanding has been cleared up," reiterating that Mickelson was attending to a family health matter.

Weeks later, Pat Perez's ex-wife Ashley Perez went public about a number of incidents involving Mickelson's lewd behavior, including him allegedly propositioning her for sex in 2015. Mickelson's attorney issued another statement following the publication of Perez's account of Mickelson's behavior, indicating that Mickelson was in recovery with the support of his wife Amy.

"Recovery is not a straight line. Throughout their 35-year relationship, his wife, Amy Mickelson, has supported Mr. Mickelson and their family with extraordinary grace, unwavering love and the belief that people are measured not only by their failures, but by what they do to make them right. Mr. Mickelson's priority is to become the husband, father, and man his family deserves. Right now, that means giving his full attention to a private family health matter. He understands that parts of his life are public, but his family's private matters are not."

On top of the various accusations of inappropriate behavior, Mickelson has been public about dealing with gambling addiction in recent years.

The 56-year-old, six-time major champion has slipped to the periphery of the golf conversation on the course in recent years, with the focus unfortunately shifting to off-course controversies. The 2026 season marked the first since 1989 that Mickelson missed all four major championships.