A statement from the PGA Championship organizers read: Phil is the title holder and is currently eligible to be a member of PGA Life and we would welcome him to participate;
Last update: 05/22/14 4:39 PM
Phil Mickelson will not be participating in this year’s PGA Championship
Phil Mickelson has pulled out of the PGA Championship next week and will not defend his title.
Mickelson has been taking a break from golf since falling for his explosive comments about the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed breakup led by Greg Norman.
The six-time main winner of the US PGA and US Open next month was recorded on April 25 and also ordered a version of the PGA Tour to play the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event from June 9-11.
The PGA Tour denied that request earlier this week.
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Rich Beam says he hasn’t seen Phil Mickelson withdraw from the US PGA Championship but thinks there are more questions to ask.
A statement from the PGA Championship organizers read: “We have just been informed that Phil Mickelson has withdrawn from the PGA Championship. Phil is the title holder and currently eligible to be a member of PGA Life and we were welcome to participate.
“We wish Phil and Amy all the best and look forward to his return to golf.”
Sky Sports expert and former PGA Championship winner in 2002 Rich Beam said he was surprised to hear Mickelson’s decision to quit, before adding that he feared his return to competitive golf might have been too soon.
“All I heard developing into it was that he was committed to playing in it and defending his title,” Beam said.
“But I still wonder that it seemed a little early for him to get back in the game – and no matter where he is in the world, no matter what he does, I hope it all moves in the right direction for him.”
Asked if Mickelson’s decision not to play would ensure there was less distraction surrounding the major tournament, Beam said: “I think that’s an accurate statement.
“But withdrawing there, there are probably more questions to be asked.”
Mickelson became the oldest major golf champion in the PGA Championship last year when, less than a month before turning 51, he beat Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen to claim a two-stroke victory at Ocean Course on Kiawah Island.
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John Ram believes Phil Mickelson’s legacy should not be tarnished despite his controversial comments and participation in the LIV Golf International Series.
One of the former champions who will play in the PGA Championship next week is Tiger Woods.
The last time the PGA Championship was held at Southern Hill, Woods took two shots to win the event for the fourth time – although the track layout has since undergone a dramatic revamp.
Norman: Phil Mickelson’s comments ‘hurt’ the Saudi-backed tour
Mickelson’s recent criticism of the proposed breakaway round with Saudi support in golf is “harming” the junior league, according to former two-time major winner Greg Norman, CEO of the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
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Greg Norman told Jimmy Weir that LIV Golf Investments is independent and will not be subject to the Saudi government or Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
Comments emerged from Mickelson’s interview with author Alan Shipnock in November in which he called the Saudis “a scary mother to be on” and questioned the country’s human rights record.
Mickelson has since apologized for his “reckless” comments and made a request to play in an event contrary to the PGA Tour, indicating his desire to continue playing in the new Saudi Premier League.
Norman, talk to ESPN Earlier in May, he said of Mickelson’s controversy: “No doubt it hurts.
It hurt a lot of sides. It hurt the PGA Tour. It hurt us. It hurt golf. It hurt Phil. So, yes, on all fronts.
“It wasn’t just about us. But it definitely created negative momentum against us.”
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