Phil Mickelson was not disinvited from 2022 Masters, Augusta chairman says

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Phil Mickelson will not be competing in the 2022 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, part of an extended leave following controversial comments he made in recent months. 

But the three-time Masters champion is not skipping the tournament this week because he was told to stay away, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley revealed Wednesday. 

"We did not disinvite Phil,’’ Ridley said at a news conference. "Phil is a three-time Masters champion and is invited in that category and many other categories. He’s the defending PGA champion."

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Mickelson reached out to Ridley in late February or early March to inform him that he wouldn't be playing in the tournament, the chairman said, marking the first time the golfer will be absent from the field in nearly 30 years.

Phil Mickelson speaks after winning the PGA Championship golf tournament on the Ocean Course, Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Kiawah Island, S.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

"Phil reached out to me … and let me know that he did not intend to play. That was by way of a text. And I thanked him for his courtesy in letting me know. I told him that we certainly appreciated that and told him that I was certainly willing to discuss that further with him if he’d like. And he thanked me, and we had a very cordial exchange," Ridley added. 

Mickelson hasn't played since the Saudi International in early February. He skipped the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, last month.

Phil Mickelson watches his tee shot on the sixth hole during the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow on