Phil Mickelson is no stranger to headlines, but this week brought a storm even he could not ignore. A new investigation accuses the 6-time major champion of years of inappropriate behavior toward women, and he is now pushing back very hard against every single serious claim made against him.
The report identifies three exclusive golf clubs in California and includes serious allegations from an ex-wife of a pro golfer. Mickelson has criticized the report, labeling it a biased hit piece that relies on unfounded rumors rather than credible evidence or facts.
A new storm hits Phil Mickelson’s reputation
Golf publication Skratch published an investigation claiming Mickelson was no longer welcome at three prestigious Southern California golf clubs. The piece suggested his exit from these clubs followed complaints about inappropriate conduct toward women, painting a picture of a repeated pattern rather than a single isolated incident at one club.
Mickelson’s representatives immediately rejected the characterization, insisting he left every single club entirely by his own personal choice and timing. They called the report an anonymously sourced drive-by shooting built to grab attention rather than deliver accuracy, framing the investigation as sensational journalism dressed up as serious accountability reporting.
Inside the Skratch investigation
Journalist Alan Shipnuck’s Skratch investigation was published on June 28, 2026, and was based on interviews with multiple sources. The article described alleged conduct involving women and connected those allegations to Mickelson’s departures from several Southern California golf clubs.
The reporting relied heavily on anonymous accounts, while Mickelson’s representatives argued that the sourcing and framing were unfair. Skratch’s editor defended the story and said Mickelson, his wife and his attorney were offered a chance to respond before publication.
The Ashley Perez allegation explained
One of the most explosive claims came from Ashley Perez, formerly married to PGA Tour golfer Pat Perez. She alleged that in 2015, Mickelson showed her an explicit photograph of himself and suggested she come see him after her husband had fallen asleep during a tournament weekend they shared together.
Mickelson’s camp disputes the framing of that encounter, arguing key context was left out and that it stemmed from a misunderstanding for which he later apologized privately. His team insists that apologizing for a specific moment should never be taken as an admission that every other allegation is true.
Mickelson’s team denies everything
In a statement to the New York Post, Mickelson’s representatives said he has never been expelled from a golf club and that no club has revoked his membership. They said his departures from clubs were voluntary.
The statement criticized the Skratch report as anonymously sourced and misleading. Skratch, however, has defended its reporting, and its editor said the outlet remains confident in the story.
Turning the spotlight on Skratch itself
Mickelson’s representatives took direct aim at Skratch itself, noting the outlet was originally founded and operated by the PGA Tour for nearly a decade before changing ownership in 2024. That history matters, they argued, since Mickelson left the PGA Tour for the rival Saudi-backed LIV Golf league in 2022.
Skratch’s editor defended the reporting, saying Mickelson, his wife, and his attorney were each offered a chance to respond before publication but declined to comment. He found it strange that the team was now challenging the story publicly rather than addressing its substance directly through the outlet itself.
Not the first allegation
This is not the first misconduct claim tied to Mickelson in recent months. Earlier reporting suggested his membership at a prestigious club was revoked after a female employee accused him of unwanted physical contact, an allegation he denied. That earlier controversy set the stage for the broader Skratch investigation that followed later.
Golf Digest reported that the female employee said Mickelson made nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with her at the clubhouse before she rejected his advances and alerted supervisors. Club officials confronted him mid-round and asked him to leave.
The business side of golf’s biggest name
Mickelson’s official PGA Tour profile lists 45 wins and $96,727,968 in official career earnings. LIV Golf lists him as a 6-time major winner with 45 PGA Tour wins and notes that he joined LIV in 2022.
Reports have placed Mickelson’s LIV signing bonus at about $200 million, while his on-course LIV winnings are separate from that figure. His public career earnings record still reflects decades of PGA Tour success before his move to LIV.
Little-known fact: Phil Mickelson won three NCAA individual titles (1989, 1990, and 1992), tying the all-time record with Ben Crenshaw.
Family health and an uncertain season
Mickelson has played sparingly in 2026, appearing in only one LIV event so far while citing an ongoing family health matter. He withdrew from the Masters back in April for the same reason, leaving fans and reporters uncertain whether he will return to competitive golf at all later this year.
With his reputation now under fresh scrutiny, Mickelson faces a defining stretch of his post-PGA Tour career. Whether the allegations fade or intensify, his response shows a golfer determined to control the narrative himself rather than let anonymous sources define how history remembers one of the sport’s boldest characters.
Little-known fact: Despite being known as golf’s greatest left-handed player (“Lefty”), Mickelson actually does almost everything else right-handed. He learned to swing left-handed by mirroring his right-handed father’s golf swing as a child.
TL;DR
- Skratch’s investigation alleges Mickelson was unwelcome at three California golf clubs over his conduct toward women.
- Ashley Perez, Pat Perez’s ex-wife, claims Mickelson showed her an explicit photo in 2015.
- Mickelson’s team calls the report a biased, anonymously sourced drive-by shooting.
- His camp says he was never expelled or had a membership revoked by any club.
- Skratch was owned by the PGA Tour for years before its 2024 ownership change.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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