Sports

Report: Phil Mickelson Kicked Out Of Club For Inappropriate Contact With Employee

By Curtis Jones · June 11, 2026

Phil Mickelson has played and practiced at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California for decades. A display case in the clubhouse featured his six major championship trophies and career memorabilia. That display has been removed. So has Mickelson.

Golf Digest reported Thursday that Mickelson, 55, was expelled from The Farms after a female clubhouse employee accused him of making nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with her before a round of golf earlier this spring. The woman rejected his advances and reported the incident to her supervisors. Club officials investigated, then confronted Mickelson on the golf course. He was told to leave the premises.

The Farms issued a statement confirming the broad strokes without naming Mickelson.

“Following a staff member 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.”

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office investigated the allegation and found no evidence that an assault occurred. Golf Digest identified and verified the employee but withheld her name to protect her privacy. She declined to participate in the story.

A spokesperson for Mickelson called it a misunderstanding.

“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.”

Mickelson has been almost entirely absent from golf in 2026. He withdrew from the Masters in April and the PGA Championship in May, citing an undisclosed family health matter each time. He has played in a single LIV Golf event all year — a 48th-place finish in South Africa in March. His five-year exemption from his historic 2021 PGA Championship victory has expired, meaning he is no longer automatically eligible for the US Open. He did not attempt to qualify. His name remains on the entry list for the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July, but whether he will play is uncertain.

The Farms incident is separate from the family health matter, Golf Digest confirmed.

Mickelson built one of the most carefully cultivated public personas in professional sports over three decades — the thumbs-up, the grin, the autograph lines, the fan-friendly brand that made him one of the highest-earning athletes in the world. That image began cracking in 2022 when he was quoted calling the Saudi investors behind LIV Golf “scary motherfuckers” while simultaneously helping to launch the league. He lost major sponsorships. He disappeared from public life for months. He came back.

He is now expelled from the club he called home, absent from the sport he defined, and facing an accusation his spokesperson has characterized as a misunderstanding that a club’s own investigation found serious enough to end his membership permanently.