Phil Mickelson sought treatment for 'family trauma and addiction', reps say
Phil Mickelson sought treatment earlier this year at a treatment facility for “family trauma and addiction”, his representatives told multiple outlets on Wednesday, and he has since returned home.
The 56-year-old six-time major winner voluntarily entered a treatment facility, his representatives said, but they declined to disclose when he sought treatment or how long he remained at the facility. TMZ was the first outlet to report the news. Mickelson has spoken publicly in the past about gambling issues.
Mickelson withdrew from the Masters in April citing a “family health matter” and pulled out of May’s PGA Championship after saying he would be out for an “extended period of time”. He has played just one tournament with LIV Golf this season, a stop in South Africa in March.
In June Mickelson denied allegations of nonconsensual and inappropriate physical conduct with a female employee at a San Diego golf club. Golf Digest reported that Mickelson was challenged about an incident mid-round and left the property soon after, and his lawyer confirmed he had resigned from the Farms Golf Club amid the allegations while saying he was working on recovery.
A spokesperson for Mickelson told People magazine in June: “Some of the allegations circulating about Mr Mickelson are false, and others revisit mistakes he has already acknowledged, publicly or privately. Recovery is not a straight line. Throughout their 35-year relationship, his wife, Amy Mickelson, has supported Mr Mickelson and their family with extraordinary grace, unwavering love, and the belief that people are measured not only by their failures, but by what they do to make them right. Mr Mickelson’s priority is to become the husband, father, and man his family deserves. Right now, that means giving his full attention to a private family health matter. He understands that parts of his life are public, but his family’s private matters are not.”
Mickelson publicly addressed gambling problems in 2023 after Billy Walters wrote in his book that Mickelson had wagered more than $1bn over three decades; at that time Mickelson said he was “in recovery.” On social media in September 2023 he wrote: “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. I still have a lot of cleaning up to do with those I love the most but I’m doing it slowly and as best I can.”
His plans to return to competitive golf remain unclear, given the uncertainty around the future of the Saudi-backed LIV circuit.