AUGUSTA, Georgia – Phil Mickelson was not disinvited from the Masters, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley told the media on Wednesday in his annual pre-tournament press conference. Ridley said the three-time Masters champion informed him via text message that he would not be competing in this year’s tournament.
Mickelson announced in February that he was taking a leave of absence from golf. He last competed in January at the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open.
“Phil reached out to me, I think it was in late February, early March, and let me know that he did not intend to play,” said Ridley. “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, you know, 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.”
