Phil Mickelson’s reps say he sought treatment for family trauma and addiction

Phil Mickelson sought treatment earlier this year for “family trauma and addiction”, his representatives confirmed to multiple outlets on Wednesday.

The 56-year-old golfer voluntarily entered a treatment facility and has since returned home. Mickelson’s representatives did not say when he sought treatment or how long he stayed at a facility.

TMZ was the first to report the news. The six-time major winner, who has spoken in the past about gambling addiction, withdrew from the Masters in April and several LIV Golf events this year due to a “family health matter”.

In June, Mickelson denied allegations of nonconsensual and inappropriate physical conduct with a female employee at a San Diego golf club. A report by Golf Digest claimed Mickelson was challenged on an incident mid-round and left the property soon after. His lawyer confirmed he had resigned from the Farms Golf Club amid the allegations and said he was working on recovery.

“Some of the allegations circulating about Mr Mickelson are false, and others revisit mistakes he has already acknowledged, publicly or privately,” a spokesperson for Mickelson told People magazine in June, in response to an article on golf website Skratch about alleged misconduct.

“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,” the statement concluded.

Mickelson has played just one tournament with LIV Golf this season, in South Africa in March. When he withdrew from the Masters in April, he said he would be out for an “extended period of time”, and he later pulled out of May’s PGA Championship. His plans to return to the sport are unclear, given the uncertainty around the future of the Saudi-backed LIV circuit.

He spoke publicly of his struggles with gambling addiction in 2023 after renowned gambler Billy Walters claimed in his book that Mickelson had wagered more than $1bn over three decades. He said he was “in recovery” after betting had alienated him from loved ones.

“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,” Mickelson wrote on social media in September 2023. “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.”