Phil Mickelson has been accused of inappropriate contact with a female employee of a California golf club.
According to a June 11 story published by Golf Digest, Mickelson initiated nonconsensual physical contact with the employee of The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, near Mickelson’s home, earlier this spring.
The woman rejected his advances immediately, according to the magazine, and reported the encounter to her supervisor. After initiating a swift internal review, club officials located Mickelson playing in the middle of his round and demanded that he leave the property immediately, the magazine reported. Mickelson complied, according to the report.
Mickelson, the 55-year-old winner of six major championships, is no longer a member of the prestigious golf club, according to Golf Digest.
“Phil Mickelson is one of professional golf’s most consequential figures and a San Diego native who has long called the region home,” the magazine wrote. “But Mickelson is unwelcome at a course at which he’s played and practiced for decades after serious allegations made against him.”
Mickelson stepped away from professional golf earlier this year, citing a private family health issue that needs his time.
Club Takes Definitive Action Against Phil Mickelson
GettyPhil Mickelson of Hyflyers GC looks on from the third green on day one of LIV Golf Indianapolis.
Private clubs rarely eject high-profile members without ironclad proof. This indicates the severity of the internal findings.
Club officials removed Mickelson from their membership roster permanently. They also removed his curated display from the clubhouse.
The Farms Golf Club issued a definitive statement to Golf Digest regarding the matter.
“The Farms Golf Club is committed to maintaining a golf club environment that is safe, respectful and reflects the highest standards of conduct. Any allegations of misconduct are taken seriously,” they said.
“Following a staff member’s 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.”
Phil Mickelson’s Lawyer Quashes Allegations as False
GettyPhil Mickelson of HyFlyers GC stands on the 14th hole on day one of LIV Golf Chicago.
Mickelson declined invitations to comment on the story directly. His spokesperson released a brief statement instead.
“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.”
His team later hired top defamation attorney Tom Clare. Clare contacted investigators on June 7. He claimed the reporting was “squarely contradicted by objective, video evidence.”
Investigators discovered that no security cameras exist in that specific area. The club confirmed that no footage captures the two parties interacting. Mickelson’s legal team failed to provide any contradictory video evidence.
Clare issued a follow-up threat on June 10.
“There is a great deal of misinformation circulating and, while Phil’s full attention is devoted to a private family health matter, he has retained defamation counsel and is determined to hold accountable any publication or individual trafficking in speculation or false rumors.”
It remains to be seen how Mickelson’s camp finally deals with these allegations.
The golfer has been called out multiple times, but every one of those times, he dealt with those issues and did the needful.
Phil Mickelson Faces Career-Damaging Allegations Amid Personal Time