Phil Mickelson OUT of 2022 PGA Championship

With the PGA Championship 2022 set to begin on Thursday, the main question was whether or not Phil Mickelson would be playing and defending his title. We got the unsurprising answer, and it's Mickelson has withdrawn from the PGA Championship this year.

So, unfortunately, Mickelson will watch the 2022 PGA Championship like the rest of us.

Phil Mickelson Withdraws From PGA Championship 2022

Of course, Phil Mickelson is no stranger to controversy. However, his current state has gotten a bit messier. When you combine unethical comments with taking shots at your "employer," it's not going to end well.

While Mickelson won the 2021 PGA Championship, he will not be defending his title this year. Due to the backlash he has endured, Mickelson continues to stay away from the PGA Tour. However, PGA Tour of America said on Friday, "Phil is the defending champion and currently eligible to be a PGA Life Member and we would have welcomed him to participate. We wish Phil and [wife] Amy the very best and look forward to his return to golf."

Credit: Oisin Keniry/Getty Images

Phil Mickelson's Controversial Comments

So, were Phil Mickelson's comments that bad?

Mickelson is frustrated with the PGA Tour, as many golfers likely are. As a way to enact change within the PGA, Lefty had planned to work with the Saudi Golf League (SGL) as a way to gain leverage within the PGA.

The Phil Mickelson comments were leaked by author Alan Shipnuck, who has a biography coming out about Mickelson. Speaking about the SGL, Mickelson said, “They’re scary motherfuckers to get involved with. 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. 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. They’ve been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won’t do what’s right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I’m not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour.”

So, Mickelson is taking shots at the PGA Tour while also getting into bed with the unethical SGL. One could argue he's fueled by money, which is a bad look for him and golf. I would argue the author has the same energy and motive, as he is alright trying to ruin someone's career if it means selling more copies of his book.