Phil Mickelson gave up defending his PGA Championship title

The American Phil Mickelson will not play in the PGA Championship next weeka ‘major’ who won in 2021 at the age of 50 to become the oldest golfer to be crowned a major.

The news of Mickelson’s departure from this tournament was provided this Friday by the PGA Championship organization in a statement.

“We just heard that Phil Mickelson has left the PGA Championship. Phil is the defending champion and is currently eligible for PGA lifetime membership and we would have welcomed him to participate. We wish Phil and Amy (his wife) the best and look forward to their return to golf, ”the note said.

Mickelson has six ‘majors’ on his record: three Augusta Masters (2004, 2006 and 2010), two PGA (2005 and 2021) and one British Open (2013).

The American, who also forfeited the Augusta Masters this year (his first absence in Augusta since 1994), has not played in a tournament since the Farmers Insurance tournament in January.

Mickelson has been embroiled in a controversy in recent months over insulting comments to ‘Golf Digest’ and ‘Fire Pit Collective’ about the PGA Tour and its commissioner, Jay Monahan, as well as about the Saudi Arabian regime, which is funding a independent tour, called LIV Golf, who wants to compete for quality and prestige on the PGA Tour.

the golfer, won 45 PGA Tour titlescriticized this circuit for its “disgusting greed” and said he would use Saudi LIV Golf as leverage against it.

Mickelson’s departure from the PGA Championship will come in a week where that’s known the PGA Tour will not give permission so that players on your tour can compete with LIV Golf Invitational Series which will take place in London from June 9 to 11.

Those were the same dates on which the PGA Tour held the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto. In addition to Phil Mickelson, among the golfers linked to LIV Golf, are names such as Lee Westwood or Sergio Garcia.