Breaking: Phil Mickelson will not defend his title at next week’s PGA Championship

“We would have welcomed him to participate,” the PGA said in a social media release Friday.

Phil Mickelson caught lightning in a bottle last year at Kiawah Island, winning a major championship at 50 years of age. The fairways flooded, and the golf world stood and applauded as the beloved lefty hoisted the PGA Championship trophy.

Fast forward a year, and Mickelson is out of golf.

And that won’t change for the PGA Championship.

The PGA of America has announced that the six-time major champion will not be in the field next week at Southern Hills. On May 9th, it was announced Tiger Woods and Mickelson were both listed in the field. As of now, Woods will play.

“We would have welcomed him to participate,” the PGA of America said in a social media release Friday.

Full statement:

Since 1960, just four players did not defend their major championship title: Art Wall, 1960 Masters; Payne Stewart, 2000 U.S. Open; Tiger Woods, 2008 PGA Championship; and Rory McIlroy, 2015 Open Championship.

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