Phil Mickelson Won't Play in 2026 Masters Tournament, Cites Family Reasons

The 2026 Masters Tournament starts next week, but it will be missing another veteran.

Phil Mickelson announced on Thursday that he won't play in this year's Masters and will remain "out for an extended period of time as my family continues to navigate a personal health matter."

Tiger Woods also announced this week that he won't be playing in the Masters, and this marks the first time that the tournament will be without him or Mickelson since 1994.

Mickelson didn't play in the first four LIV Golf events of the year. He made his season debut at last month's event in South Africa, and he finished tied for 48th.

A three-time Masters champion, Mickelson would've been making his 33rd start at Augusta National. The course hasn't been kind to him in the last couple of years, as he missed the cut in 2025 and tied for 43rd in 2024. He made a run at the title in 2023 when he tied for second with Brooks Koepka behind tournament winner Jon Rahm.

Mickelson's last win on the PGA Tour came at the PGA Championship in 2021. He has never won an individual tournament on the LIV Tour since joining the alternative league in 2022.

The 2026 Masters Tournament will begin next Thursday. Rory McIlroy returns as the reigning champion after completing the career Grand Slam last year.