Mickelson pulls out of the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Three-time champion Phil Mickelson withdrew from the Masters on Thursday, citing a personal health matter with his family that kept him out of all but one of the five LIV Golf events this year. "Unfortunately I will not play in the Masters Tournament next week and will be out for an extended period of time as my family continues to navigate a personal health matter," Mickelson posted on social media. Tiger Woods said Tuesday he was taking an indefinite leave to seek treatment after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence in a Feb. 27 crash in Florida. It will be the first time neither Woods nor Mickelson will be at the Masters since 1994, when Woods was a senior in high school and Mickelson had broken his leg while skiing earlier that year. Mickelson called the Masters "definitely the most special week of the year," and his record reflects that. He won his first major at Augusta National in 2004, the last player to win the Masters by one shot with a birdie putt on the 72nd hole. He also won in 2006 and in 2010, one of only eight players to win the Masters at least three times. Mickelson has not shared details of the personal family matter. He sat out LIV's four events to start the year and returned in South Africa two weeks ago, tying for 48th in the 57-man field. "It's just fun to be back playing," he said in South Africa. The only other time Mickelson missed the Masters was in 2022, when he took a leave of absence after inflammatory remarks as the Saudi-funded LIV Golf was preparing to launch. Mickelson accused the PGA Tour of "obnoxious greed" in a Golf Digest interview. In an interview with author Alan Shipnuck for his book on Mickelson, he dismissed Saudi Arabia's human rights record and the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reshape the PGA Tour. The remarks cost him corporate sponsorships. Mickelson joined LIV later that year. The Masters starts April 9 with a 91-man field, with one spot still available if the winner of this week's Texas Open is not already eligible. ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf