Phil Mickelson pulls out of second consecutive major championship

Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson has confirmed he will miss next week's PGA Championship. 

Mickelson, 55, has been reduced to only one appearance on the LIV Golf League this season. 

In February, Mickelson said he was taking some time away from the sport to deal with a private family health matter. 

He sat out the first four events in Riyadh, Adelaide, Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Although he returned to action in at LIV's stop in South Africa in March - finishing 48th - he decided against playing the annual Masters Tournament at Augusta National. 

It was the first time the Masters was played without Mickelson or Tiger Woods since 1994. 

Sports Illustrated reported late on Monday that Mickelson was also going to skip LIV's $25m event this week at Trump National Golf Golf Club in Washington, D.C. 

At the time, his status for the second men's major of the year was unclear as he was still listed in the 2026 PGA Championship field. 

But tournament organisers confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that the winner of the Wanamaker Trophy in 2005 and 2021 will not be in the 154-man field.

In a text message sent to Flushing It, Mickelson said he hopes to play again in 2026 but it remains to be seen. 

"I'm hoping to play the rest of the year after that but I honestly don't know," he said. 

Mickelson has kept the specific details of the health matter private throughout his absence.

He has not revealed if it is about himself, his wife Amy, or another family member.

Mickelson has publicly supported his wife and mother through cancer battles before.

He has been replaced in the field next week by six-time PGA Tour winner Max Homa, who was the first alternate. 

Zimbabwe's Scott Vincent will take Mickelson's space in the HyFlyers. 

The news comes amid a turbulent period for the breakaway LIV Golf League.  

Last week, its Saudi financiers announced they will no longer fund the tour beyond 2026.

On Tuesday, LIV chief executive Scott O'Neil expressed optimism that the league could find new sponsors. 

Although he was short on the details. 

"I definitely will not be talking through specifics of the plan," O'Neil said. 

"But it's a playbook that won't surprise too many people once you see it.

"It's for next year that we're going to be making some pretty significant, substantive changes."

O'Neil said he believes LIV players will want to remain with the league despite being forced to make adjustments.

"I have a lot of confidence this is a place players want to be," he said. 

He added: "I had about a dozen inbound calls this weekend from potential investors.

"It was a split between private equity, family office, and then your traditional high net worth guys who invest in sports and sports teams. 

"So that has been really positive."

O'Neil said he has spoken to Mickelson recently and that Lefty has been involved in discussions about LIV's future. 

"We all have things going on in our lives that are personal," he said.

"I have a lot of love and respect for him as a human being and certainly have respect for him as what he's accomplished in his career, and his presence is really helpful. 

"So I hope he comes back soon. He carries a ton of weight in every room he walks. 

"That's not only because he's a six-time major champion, but he's got gravitas, and that comes with something that's way beyond winning."