Phil Mickelson To Miss First Masters In 28 Years

Phil Mickelson will miss his first Masters since 1994 amid controversy surrounding the six-time Major champion following comments on the PGA Tour and golf's new Saudi-backed Super League.

Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion in 2004, 2006 and 2010, is set to miss the Augusta National showpiece after announcing he would be taking a break from the game last month in a public apology. He said he was "deeply sorry" and "severely" regretted his comments made to Alan Shipnuck, author of an upcoming biography.

He is listed under a 'Past Champions not playing' title on the official Masters website and is not listed in the field for this year's tournament. Augusta National has also reportedly confirmed Mickelson is not going to tee it up at the year's first Major. It will be the first time Lefty has not played a Masters since 1994. He had played in 27 consecutive Masters Tournaments between 1995-2021, winning three and finishing inside the top-10 on another 12 occasions.

The Masters was the scene of his first and long-awaited Major title in 2004 when he beat Ernie Els by a single stroke. He is a key figure at Augusta during Masters weeks and regularly attends the Honorary Starter ceremony first thing on the Thursday morning of the tournament.

It remains to be seen when the 51-year-old decides to return to action, with May's PGA Championship a likely date for a comeback. He became the oldest Major winner in history at last year's PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. His time away from the game could potentially be a much longer period of time, however, so it still remains to be seen when he chooses to return.

“The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level," Mickelson said in a statement last month. "I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritize the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be."

Since his apology, Mickelson has lost, or had his relationships 'paused' with, the majority of his sponsors, including Callaway, KPMG and Workday. New Super League CEO Greg Norman also said he feels "sad" for the American but admitted he will always have an "open door" to the game of golf.

Whilst Mickelson is currently not in the field listed on the official Masters website, 15-time Major winner Tiger Woods is. Woods' return at Augusta is still unlikely but he is not yet listed in the 'Past champions not playing' category like Mickelson.