Phil Mickelson is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club after an employee's report and a dispute over the circumstances of his departure
Phil Mickelson, one of the best-known golfers of recent decades, is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, a private club near San Diego in the U.S. state of California. The case drew the attention of the sports public after Golf Digest reported on June 11, 2026, that the six-time major winner's long-standing membership ended after a club employee filed a report over alleged inappropriate physical contact before one round of golf earlier this spring. According to the same report, the employee's identity was verified but not published in order to protect her privacy, and she did not participate in the preparation of the news article. Mickelson's side disputes the interpretation of events and claims this was a situation in which inaccurate or incomplete information appeared. Since the case, according to publicly available information as of June 19, 2026, has not reached a judicial conclusion, it is a serious allegation and a dispute over the circumstances of his departure from the club, not a legally established finding of responsibility.
What, according to available reports, preceded the end of the membership
Golf Digest, citing multiple sources familiar with the case, reported that the alleged incident occurred in the clubhouse area before Mickelson went out onto the course. According to that report, after the alleged inappropriate and unwanted physical contact, the employee rejected his actions and reported the case to her superiors. The report states that club officials then launched a review and investigation and found Mickelson during the round, after which he left the property before finishing play. That sequence of events was also reported by other sports media, including Golf Channel, which emphasized that Golf Digest was the source of the initial allegations. In the publicly available information so far, there is no statement from the employee under her name, and the media outlets that published details state that her identity is protected because of privacy and the sensitivity of the report.
The Farms Golf Club, in a statement carried by Golf Digest, did not publicly name Mickelson in the club statement itself, but confirmed that after an employee's report about misconduct by a member, it supported the employee, conducted an independent investigation and took decisive action. The club also stated that the person is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club. Golf Digest then reported that multiple sources from the club confirmed that the person was Mickelson, and after the article was published, a representative of the golfer confirmed that he is no longer a member. In the same statement, the club emphasized that because of the safety and privacy of staff and members, it would not comment further on the case. Such wording leaves part of the circumstances outside the public domain, but confirms that the club treated the event as a matter of its internal code of conduct.
Mickelson's side speaks of a resignation and disputes the allegations
Mickelson's representative presented a different account of the end of the membership, claiming that the golfer resigned from the membership himself. According to Golf Digest and Golf Channel, his spokesperson stated that any misunderstanding had been clarified and that Mickelson was still dealing with a family health matter because of which he had already previously been absent from professional golf. His lawyer Tom Clare additionally disputed the allegations and said that Mickelson had engaged legal assistance for defamation matters because, according to his claim, there was a great deal of misinformation and speculation. Clare, according to Golf Digest, claimed that the description of the incident contradicted objective video footage, but the same outlet states that such footage was not provided when Mickelson's legal team was given the opportunity to show it.
That part of the case is especially important because it separates two levels of the dispute. The first is the question of what really happened between Mickelson and the employee, about which the public currently has only media allegations, the club statement and the denial from his legal team. The second is the question of how the membership ended: the club's public statement says that the person is no longer a member after an investigation and measures taken, while Mickelson's side emphasizes that he resigned. After its initial publication, Golf Digest changed the headline to reflect the confirmation from Mickelson's representative that he is no longer a club member, but retained the allegations about the employee's report and the club's internal response. Because of those differences in the descriptions, it is most precise to say that Mickelson's membership in The Farms Golf Club ended after a report and an internal investigation, while the manner of his formal departure is a matter of dispute.
The sheriff's office did not confirm evidence of an assault
Golf Channel also published a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, which further shows how important it is to distinguish the club investigation from a possible criminal procedure. According to that statement, the sheriff's office attempted to find evidence that would support a possible claim of sexual assault, but at that time found no evidence that an assault had occurred. The office also stated that it would continue investigating if it received additional evidence or information and invited people with relevant knowledge to come forward. Such a statement does not mean that the club report is automatically unfounded, but it does mean that, according to available information, no criminal procedure with evidence that would substantiate an assault allegation has been publicly confirmed. For that reason, the case at this moment must be described cautiously, with clear attribution of claims and without conclusions that have not been officially established.
In the American sports and media sphere, cases like this often have two parallel consequences. One concerns possible action by public authorities, for which evidence and formal thresholds applicable in criminal or civil proceedings are required. The other concerns the rules of private organizations, in this case a club that can apply its own code of conduct and make membership decisions after an internal review. The Farms, in the statement reported by the media, said that it takes reports of misconduct seriously and that it conducts procedures in accordance with California law and its own rules. Precisely for that reason, the absence of a judicial conclusion does not nullify the fact that the club carried out its procedure, but at the same time it does not prove the allegations in the report in a legal sense.
Why The Farms was important to Mickelson
The Farms Golf Club is not just an incidental location in Mickelson's career. The club's official website describes it as an exclusive private golf club in Rancho Santa Fe, near San Diego, and Golf Digest states that Mickelson played and trained there for decades. The club is located in an area connected with his sporting development and private life, so the end of the membership carries greater symbolic weight than an ordinary administrative decision. According to Golf Digest, The Farms and other clubs around San Diego served him as important training venues before major tournaments. The same report also states that the club display commemorating athletes connected with the club had previously included Mickelson, but that a representative of The Farms confirmed that his display had been removed.
The official website of The Farms Golf Club lists an address in Rancho Santa Fe and emphasizes that it is a private club open year-round. Such clubs in American golf often have an important role beyond the competition calendar itself: they serve as places for training, networking, informal rounds and maintaining relationships among professionals, businesspeople and long-standing members. For Mickelson, who was born in San Diego and has long been connected with Southern California, The Farms was, according to media reports, one of the key places in that private golfing environment. For that reason, the end of his membership resonates additionally in golfing circles, especially because it is happening in a period when his competitive future is already uncertain.
The controversy comes during a longer absence from professional golf
Mickelson played very little in 2026. According to the official LIV Golf profile, the captain of HyFlyers GC had a series of tournament withdrawals during the season, and his only recorded appearance was at LIV Golf South Africa in March, where he finished near the bottom of the standings. Golf Digest reported that before the opening of the LIV Golf season in Saudi Arabia, he said he would not be able to play the first two events because he and his wife Amy had to be with family because of a health matter. He cited the same reason when he missed the Masters in April, with a message that he would be away from competition for an extended period. According to Golf Digest, that family health issue is separate from the episode at The Farms Golf Club.
The sporting context further increases public attention. Mickelson is a six-time major winner and one of the most successful players of his generation; the official LIV Golf profile lists 45 PGA Tour victories, six major titles and the fact that in 2021 he became the oldest major winner in the history of men's golf. Still, in recent years his public image has become significantly more complex. He was one of the key figures in the move of part of the elite golfers toward LIV Golf, a project that caused deep divisions in professional golf. Now the new controversy does not concern sporting results, but behavior away from the tournament course, which further broadens the discussion about his status, reputation and possible return to competition.
Reputational risk without a final legal answer
In cases like this, reputational consequences often occur long before any legal outcome. For a public figure such as Mickelson, the very fact that a long-standing membership in a prestigious private club ended after an employee's report represents a serious blow, regardless of how any legal or media dispute may eventually develop. On the other hand, his defense is so far based on the claim that the allegations were misrepresented, that this is a matter of misinformation and that he himself resigned. Between those two versions, there remains significant room for unknowns: there is no publicly released footage, no public statement from the employee and no officially confirmed court procedure that would resolve the question of responsibility. That is why it is important to avoid formulations that turn the allegation into an established fact.
For The Farms Golf Club, the case also has broader significance because it concerns the trust of employees and members in the way a private institution handles reports of inappropriate behavior. In the statement carried by Golf Digest and Golf Channel, the club emphasized safety, respect and the highest standards of conduct as the foundation of its environment. Such a message is directed at employees, members and the public, but it also shows that private sports clubs increasingly have to publicly articulate how they act when serious reports arise against well-known members. In this case, the club did not provide details of the investigation, probably also because of the privacy of the people involved, so it remains unknown on exactly which elements it based its internal decision. That limited transparency at the same time protects privacy and leaves room for conflicting interpretations.
What can be concluded so far
As of June 19, 2026, several key elements have been publicly confirmed: Mickelson is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club, Golf Digest reported that this was preceded by an employee's report of alleged inappropriate physical contact, the club confirmed that after the report it conducted an independent investigation and took measures, and Mickelson's side claims that he resigned himself and disputes the allegations. Golf Channel carried a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office according to which no evidence had then been found showing that an assault had occurred, with a note that the investigation could continue if additional information emerged. These elements create a picture of a serious but still unresolved case in which the boundaries between an internal club decision, media reporting and possible legal action are especially important.
For the golf public, the case follows a period in which Mickelson had already been away from the course, with unclear plans for a return and limited competitive appearances. According to official LIV Golf data, in the 2026 season he remains attached to HyFlyers GC, but his actual presence at tournaments has remained minimal. Whether the new controversy will affect his sporting schedule, relations with partners or further status in the golfing environment has not been officially confirmed for now. What is clear is that the story is no longer only about one club membership, but also about the broader question of how great sporting careers change when serious allegations appear off the course and remain without a quick and clear institutional resolution.
Sources:
- Golf Digest – original report on the employee's report, the club's internal response and the position of Mickelson's legal team (link)
- Golf Channel – summary of the case, statement from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office and note on the change in wording of Golf Digest's report (link)
- The Farms Golf Club – official information about the club, its location and basic description of the private golf club in Rancho Santa Fe (link)
- LIV Golf – official profile of Phil Mickelson, biographical information, results and status in the HyFlyers GC team (link)