Phil Mickelson sought treatment for family trauma and addiction

Phil Mickelson voluntarily entered a treatment facility earlier this year to address “family trauma and addiction,” his representatives confirmed this week. The six-time major champion has since returned home, but his representatives did not say when he entered treatment, how long he stayed or what the treatment involved.

The disclosure follows months away from competition for the 56-year-old golfer. Mickelson withdrew from the Masters in April and said he would step away for an “extended period of time” while his family dealt with “a personal health matter.” He also withdrew from the PGA Championship in May and several LIV Golf events this year. According to The Guardian, his only tournament this season with LIV Golf was in South Africa in March.

The Guardian reported that TMZ first disclosed Mickelson’s treatment. His representatives confirmed it to multiple outlets, including NBC News. They did not identify the facility.

Mickelson’s absence has coincided with allegations involving a female employee at The Farms Golf Club in Southern California. Golf Digest, citing multiple sources, reported that Mickelson was accused of making “nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact” with the employee. According to The Guardian, Golf Digest reported that Mickelson was challenged about an incident during a round and left the property soon afterward.

Mickelson denied allegations of nonconsensual and inappropriate physical conduct in June, The Guardian reported. At the time, a representative described the encounter as a “misunderstanding,” according to NBC News. His lawyer confirmed that Mickelson had resigned from the club amid the allegations and said he was working on recovery, The Guardian reported.

“There is a great deal of misinformation circulating,” Mickelson’s attorney, Tom Locke, said in a statement cited by NBC News. Locke said Mickelson had retained defamation counsel and was determined to hold accountable those spreading speculation or false rumors.

In a separate June statement to People magazine, a spokesperson for Mickelson said some allegations circulating about him were false, while others revisited mistakes he had acknowledged publicly or privately. “Recovery is not a straight line,” the spokesperson said, adding that Mickelson’s priority was to give his full attention to a private family health matter.

Mickelson has previously spoken about gambling addiction. In 2023, gambler Billy Walters claimed in a book that Mickelson had wagered more than $1 billion over three decades, according to The Guardian. Mickelson said that betting had alienated him from loved ones and that he was “in recovery.”

“After many years of receiving professional help, not gambling, and being in recovery from my addictions, I’m now able to sit still, be present in the moment and live each day with an inner calm and peace,” he wrote on social media in September 2023. He added: “I still have a lot of cleaning up to do with those I love the most.”

Mickelson has won 45 PGA Tour events, including six majors. He has not announced when he will return to competition.