The absence of Phil Mickelson from professional golf continues. The PGA of America confirmed on Friday that the defending champion of the PGA Championship will not take part in the competition this year.
Following his inflammatory remarks about the Saudi Arabia-based Super Golf League, Mickelson left the sport three months ago. In April, he withdrew from the Masters.
The PGA of America released a statement in which it stated, “We have just been told that Phil Mickelson has withdrawn from the PGA Championship.” “We would have welcomed Phil, the reigning champion who is currently qualified to join the PGA as a Life Member, to take part. We hope for the best for Phil and Amy and eagerly anticipate his comeback to golf.”
When the 51-year-old Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship in South Carolina, he set a record for the oldest player to win a major. Since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, he hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour.
In This Article...
What Will Phil Mickelson Do After His Probably Final Season in 2021?
On Sunday at the BMW Championship, Phil Mickelson missed a putt that would probably affect the 2020–21 season.
Mickelson finished tied for last place at the BMW Championship after playing four rounds at Caves Valley that totaled 1 under par (68-77-68-74) overall. The figures also placed him 70th in the post-BMW FedExCup standings, meaning he will not pass “Go,” will not receive $200, and, while he won’t go to jail right away, he won’t be one of the 30 players competing in the Tour Championship.
With the end of the BMW, those who automatically qualified for Team USA’s Ryder Cup roster were also determined in addition to the 30 advancers. Additionally, it appeared like Yankee captain Steve Stricker would use one of his at-large picks to select the champion of the PGA Championship in 2021.
The Wanamaker Trophy, which he earned thanks to a surprise victory at Kiawah Island in May, is held by Mickelson, who has made an unmatched string of 12 consecutive Ryder Cup appearances. However, there are significant restrictions on both of those situations.
No one has played in as many Ryder Cups as Mickelson, but nobody has lost more games. His 18-22-7 career record would make him the “Biggest Loser” if the Ryder Cup were a reality television program. Only in singles, with his 8-6-1 record is less than impressive, is he above water.
And he is the current PGA champion, yes. However, his place in the top 15 at Kiawah Island is his only one this year. In addition, Mickelson has missed 15 cuts since finishing third at the AT&T Pebble Beach in February 2020 and only has one other top-20 finish, a T2 at the 2021 WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Without a doubt, the 51-year-old Mickelson is among the greatest players of all time. However, it could make more sense to include Stewart Cink on the roster if Stricker is feeling sentimental. The 48-year-old Cink, who has two victories this year, performed well enough at Caves Valley (T38) to proceed to this week’s major championship at East Lake.
Since the PGA Championship, “Lefty” has done more to portray that victory as an oddity rather than an indicator or to encourage a Ryder Cup captain to be confident. Remember that Jim Furyk selected Mickelson as his captain’s choice for the matches in France in 2018, extending his record Ryder Cup streak. Not quite a home run, that.
Sergio Garcia and Alex Noren of Europe defeated Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau in a foursomes match; the result, 5–4, left little room for error. Mickelson then fell to Francesco Molinari in a singles match, losing 4 and 2.
And when he isn’t criticizing the USGA for perhaps shortening driver lengths, Mickelson appears to be aware of his precarious position. He admitted it during his opening-round 68 at the BMW.
Mickelson stated, “The only way for me to have a genuine chance of being picked is to qualify for the Tour Championship and then play well there.
Phil Mickelson scores a birdie during the second round of the 2021 BMW Championship on the par-3 sixth hole.
During his second round of the BMW Championship, Phil Mickelson completed 9 of 18 greens in regulation, placing him at 1-over par overall. Mickelson finished the day in a tie for 63rd place at 1 over par. Bryson DeChambeau is now leading the field at 16 under par, followed by Patrick Cantlay at 15 under par, and Jon Rahm at 14 under par.
On the 356-yard par-4 fifth hole, Mickelson drove the ball 330 yards, chipped his second shot to 4 feet, and rolled it in for a one-putt birdie. Mickelson is now 1 under for the round as a result.
Mickelson’s 217-yard tee shot at the sixth hole’s 223-yard par-3 gave him a clear path to the green and a 5-foot putt for a birdie. Mickelson is at 2 under for the round as a result.
After reaching the 430-yard par-4 seventh green in four strokes and one putt, Mickelson took a bogey, bringing his round total to one under par.
Mickelson made bogey on the 466-yard par-4 ninth hole, reaching the green in three strokes with two putts, bringing him at par for the round.
On the 356-yard par-4 11th after hitting a 293-yard drive, Mickelson chipped his second shot to 6 feet, where he rolled it for a one-putt birdie. Mickelson is now 1 under for the round as a result.
Mickelson’s second shot on the 221-yard par-3 13th was a drop, and his approach shot traveled 113 yards to the green, where he made a double bogey putt. He was now one over for the round as a result.
Mickelson’s bogey on the 495-yard par-4 15th put him at 2 over for the round after he reached the green in 4 and one putting.
Mickelson took a bogey after striking the green in three and three-putting on the 596-yard par-5 16th hole. Mickelson’s round score increased to 3 over as a result.
The Swinging Golfer logo, PGA TOUR, and PGA TOUR Champions are all registered trademarks.
The Korn Ferry Tour logo uses the Korn Ferry trademark, which is also a registered trademark, with permission.
Will Phil Mickelson Compete in the PGA Championship in 2022?
Only one month has passed since the conclusion of the Masters Tournament, the opening major of the PGA Tour. And the PGA Championship, the second major, is already being prepared for by the golf community! The majority of fans’ most persistent query, though, is still unresolved. Will Phil Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship in 2021, return to the Southern Hills this year to defend his title?
With his victory in the 2021 PGA Championship, Phil Mickelson made history by becoming the 50-year-old to ever win a major. Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka, two young golfers, were defeated by his overall score of 6-under par.
He also became the 14th male golfer in history to have won six major championships. The golfer’s performance at the PGA Championship last year was successful. He may or may not participate in the competition to defend his championship this year.
Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson hasn’t participated in a competition in months. He took a break in February after receiving harsh criticism for his divisive comments on the power of the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf Series, which went viral.
The 51-year-old had apologized for the incident on social media and announced his intention to take some time off to “prioritize” the things he values most in life.
In 2022, Mickelson skipped the Masters Tournament for the first time since 1994. He has, however, already signed up to play for the Southern Hills.
The current champion decided not to travel to Southern Hills to defend his title.
The reigning champion Phil Mickelson has withdrawn from the 104th playing of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills next week, according to a statement released by the PGA of America on Friday. Despite the 51-year-old’s inclusion in the official field on Monday, there was uncertainty around his presence in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The PGA of America released a statement saying, “We have just learned that Phil Mickelson has withdrew from the PGA Championship. “We would have welcomed Phil, the reigning champion who is currently qualified to join the PGA as a Life Member, to take part. We are excited to see Phil play golf again and send our best wishes to him and Amy.”
Mickelson will be replaced on the course by Charl Schwartzel, while Harris English, who withdrew on Friday due to injury, will be replaced by Kramer Hickok.
When Mickelson defeated players like Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen to win at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island last year, he achieved the pinnacle of success. Mickelson also became the oldest major champion in history. Since then, Lefty has run into trouble as a result of his affiliation with LIV Golf, a golf league supported by Saudi Arabia that seeks to compete with the PGA Tour.
The six-time major champion hasn’t competed since the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour in January, and he hasn’t played since the Saudi International in early February when his criticism of the Saudi Arabian government became public. Even then, on April 25, his agent, Steve Loy, issued a statement regarding his conceivable playing schedule.
According to Loy, “Our client Phil Mickelson is officially registered to compete in both the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open.” “We have also submitted a request for his release to participate in the first LIV Golf Invitational in London, June 9–11,” the statement continued.
Since this comment was made public, a lot has happened, including the denial of all waiver requests from golfers who wanted to compete in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. Mickelson is now in an even more difficult circumstance. Even if the PGA Tour may take disciplinary action against him, he may choose to disregard Monahan’s decision and play in London. What would this entail for Mickelson’s grand slam career hopes, though?
The third major championship of the year, without a U.S. Open trophy, is scheduled for June 16–19, the week following the opening LIV Golf Invitational competition. In regards to Mickelson and other LIV Golf competitors, the United States Golf Association will need to take a position.
We will have to wait and see what the USGA ultimately decides with only one month to go. What is certain is that with Mickelson’s formal withdrawal from the PGA Championship, one less question looms over him while many more do not.
Despite missing the cut at the Northern Trust, Phil Mickelson managed to make it into the field of 70 players for the BMW Championship.
The news that Phil Mickelson had placed 70th in the FedEx Cup rankings following the Northern Trust tournament made him the envy of many players on Monday afternoon. Mickelson has won six major championships.
Lefty missed the cut at Liberty National after shooting rounds of 73 and 72. This was his fourth missed cut of the year, but he has racked up enough points to advance to the BMW Championship.
He advanced to the next round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs partly as a result of his victory at the PGA Championship on Kiawah Island in May. At the age of 50, Mickelson set records by becoming golf’s oldest major champion.
Unfortunately, following the Northern Trust, Matthew Wolff came in at 71st. The 22-year-old, like Mickelson, missed the cut at Liberty National this season because to mental health difficulties.