Masters chairman: 'We did not disinvite' Phil Mickelson from tournament
Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley told the media ahead of the Masters this week that three-time champ Phil Mickelson was not disinvited from the event, but that Mickelson informed him via text message he would not attend.
"I told him that we certainly appreciated that and, you know, told him that I was certainly willing to discuss that further with him if he'd like," Ridley said of the text exchange, via ESPN. "He thanked me, and we had a very cordial exchange."
Mickelson, 50, has not competed in a PGA event since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. He last donned the green jacket at Augusta in 2010.
"He made a personal decision, and I don't know anything beyond that," Ridley continued. "I know that Phil has been a real fixture here at the Masters for many, many years. He's been a big part of our history. I certainly and we certainly wish him the best sort of working through the issues he's dealing with right now."
Lefty's absence from the Tour has been largely credited to his connection to the proposed breakaway league backed by Saudi Arabia. Mickelson came under fire in February when an interview surfaced in which he seemingly condoned some of the country's most heinous behavior when considering whether to play in its golf league.
"They're scary motherf---ers to get involved with," Mickelson told author Alan Shipnuck. "They killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."
Mickelson later apologized for the comments, although that didn't stop some of his longtime sponsors such as Callaway from distancing themselves from him.
The first round of this year's Masters starts on Thursday.
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