Phil Mickelson has been accused of “inappropriate contact” with a female golf-club employee, according to a report from Golf Digest.
The publication reported Thursday that Mickelson’s membership from The Farms Golf Club in San Diego was revoked after a female staffer accused him of “nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact” with her earlier this year. According to the report, which cites multiple sources with knowledge of the matter, Mickelson approached and made contact with the employee before he set out for a round of golf. The report says the employee rejected Mickelson’s advances and reported the incident to management.
According to Golf Digest‘s sources, the club immediately reviewed the incident and confronted Mickelson mid-round with the allegations. Mickelson was then asked to leave the property, which he did before the end of his round.
Mickelson, who is currently on leave from pro golf for a personal matter, declined to comment directly to Golf Digest, but a Mickelson spokesperson offered a brief statement about the alleged incident:
“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.”
Mickelson’s manager did not immediately respond to a text from GOLF.com seeking further comment.
In a statement to Golf Digest, The Farms confirmed that a member had been removed following an incident involving an employee but did not say whether the member was Mickelson. The statement read:
“The Farms Golf Club is committed to maintaining a golf club environment that is safe, respectful and reflects the highest standards of conduct. All members are required to adhere to our Code of Conduct, and any allegations of misconduct are taken seriously. 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.”
Mickelson missed the start of the LIV Golf season to tend to his personal issue. He returned for LIV’s South Africa event in March before announcing that he would be out for an extended period of time as he navigates a “family health matter.”
Mickelson, who is 55, sat out both the Masters and the PGA Championship this year. It was only the second time that Mickelson did not tee it up at Augusta National since 1995. Mickelson also missed the 2022 Masters after he made controversial comments about LIV Golf’s Saudi financiers.