Phil Mickelson Not Competing in the Masters Tournament for First Time in Over 25 Years

The star golfer has competed in the tournament every year since 1994 and won the Masters in 2004, 2006 and 2010

Photo: Cliff Hawkins/Getty

Phil Mickelson's name is no longer on the list of competitors in the upcoming 2022 Masters Tournament.

An official for Augusta National confirmed to ESPN that Mickelson won't take part in the prestigious tournament, which is set to take place in Georgia starting April 7.

Mickelson has competed in the event for 28 years, starting in 1994, ESPN reported. This year would have marked the champion golfer's 30th Masters start.

A representative for Mickelson did not comment to PEOPLE.

The golfer, regarded as one of the world's best, has won six majors during his career, most recently the PGA Championship in 2021. Mickelson has won the Masters three times: in 2004, 2006 and 2010.

The news comes after he addressed and apologized for the controversial remarks he made about Saudi Arabia and the Super Golf League, a proposed new tour being funded by Saudia Arabia's Public Investment Fund, one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds.

In February, Mickelson's comments to golf reporter Alan Shipnuck during a November 2021 conversation were published on the website the Fire Pit Collective as an excerpt from Shipnuck's new unauthorized biography about the athlete.

Phil Mickelson. Gregory Shamus/Getty

Saudi Arabia has long been criticized for human rights abuses and violence, including the prominent murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S.-based Saudi journalist who had been publicly critical of the country's government, in 2018.

Calling the Saudis "scary motherf------ to get involved with," Mickelson told Shipnuck, "We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay."

He continued, "Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."

While addressing the remarks last month after receiving widespread backlash, Mickelson said, "Although it doesn't look this way now given my recent comments, my actions throughout this process have always been with the best interest of golf, my peers, sponsors, and fans."

"There is the problem of off record comments being shared out of context and without my consent, but the bigger issue is that I used words I sincerely regret that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions," Mickelson added in his lengthy statement. "It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words. I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."

At the time, Mickelson announced his intention to take a step back from the spotlight. Said Mickelson, "I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritize the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be."