Phil Mickelson has been accused of “inappropriate contact” with a golf club employee, according to a report Golf Digest.
The publication reported Thursday that Mickelson’s membership at the Farms Golf Club in San Diego was revoked after a female employee accused him of “inappropriate and inappropriate physical contact” earlier this year. According to the report, which cites several sources with knowledge of the matter, Mickelson came to contact this employee before he started to play golf. The report says the employee declined Mickelson’s offer and reported the incident to management.
In accordance with Golf Digest‘s sources, the club immediately reviewed the incident and confronted Mickelson mid-round about the allegations. Mickelson was then asked to leave the venue, which he did before the end of his round.
Mickelson, who is currently on hiatus from pro golf for a personal matter, declined to comment directly Golf Digestbut Mickelson’s spokesperson provided a brief statement about the alleged incident:
“Any misunderstandings have been resolved. Phil continues to attend to a family health issue and is unsure when he will be able to return to professional golf.”
Mickelson’s manager did not immediately respond to a text message GOLF.com I want to comment more.
In a statement to Golf DigestFarms confirmed that a member was removed following an incident involving an employee but did not say if the member was Mickelson. The statement read as follows:
“The Farms Golf Club is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and ethical golf club environment. All members are required to follow our Code of Conduct, and any allegations of misconduct are taken seriously. Following a staff report of member misconduct, the Club provided immediate and ongoing support to staff, conducted a thorough independent investigation into the incident and the Golf Club Member is taking serious action.”
Mickelson missed the start of the LIV Golf season to deal with his injury. He returned to South Africa’s LIV event in March before announcing that he would be taking an extended leave of absence to attend to a “family health issue.”
Mickelson, 55, is out of both the Masters and the PGA Championship this year. It was only the second time Mickelson has missed the cut at Augusta National since 1995. Mickelson also missed the 2022 Masters after he made controversial comments about LIV Golf’s Saudi sponsors.
