Golf legend Phil Mickelson has been expelled from his longtime country club in San Diego after a female employee accused the six-time major champion of sexual harassment.
Mickelson’s attorney is aggressively denying the allegations, and says there is video evidence that contradicts her claims.
Golf Digest broke the story Thursday, reporting that Mickelson was permanently banned from The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, roughly 25 miles northeast of downtown San Diego, following allegations from earlier this spring.
Mickelson reportedly approached a female club employee at the clubhouse and made “nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact” with her before heading out for a round. The employee then allegedly reported the alleged incident to her supervisors.
Club management launched an investigation and then confronted Mickelson while he was on the course mid-round, ordering him off the premises, Golf Digest reported. He left without completing his round.
“The Farms Golf Club is committed to maintaining a golf club environment that is safe, respectful and reflects the highest standards of conduct,” the club said in a statement to Golf Digest. “All members are required to adhere to our Code of Conduct, and any allegations of misconduct are taken seriously.”
Mickelson’s attorney, Tom Clare, pushed back forcefully.
“There is a great deal of misinformation circulating” around the incident, Clare told Golf Digest. He said the club employee’s account is “squarely contradicted by objective, video evidence.”
Clare also warned that Mickelson “is determined to hold accountable any publication or individual trafficking in speculation or false rumors.”
The 55-year-old golfer, nicknamed “Lefty,” has had a quiet 2026. He played in just one pro tournament, finishing tied for 48th at the LIV Golf South Africa event in March, after he missed the tour’s first four events of the year.
In April, he announced he would not participate in the Masters, citing “a personal health matter.” He is not expected to compete in next week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, which would be just the second time he has missed that tournament since 1994.
The allegations add a new controversy to a checkered, but legendary, career. Mickelson defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit in 2022 in a reported $200 million deal, a move that cost him multiple sponsors. He has also been publicly linked to an alleged sports betting scandals.
Mickelson has not posted on social media since April 2, when he announced he would skip the Masters.