The Masters will be missing two of the biggest stars of the 21st century.
On Thursday afternoon, Phil Mickelson announced that he would not play at Augusta National next week citing a “personal health matter,” joining Tiger Woods as the most prominent golf stars missing from the sport’s first major in 2026. Mickelson’s absence from the event is highly unusual — it will be just the fourth time he does not attend the proceedings in Augusta in 36 iterations of the event since his first start as a 20-year-old in 1991. Next week will also mark just the second time Mickelson has missed the Masters since the turn of the century, following only his 2022 Masters absence after controversial comments about the Saudi financiers behind his current employers, LIV Golf.
Mickelson did not disclose the full reason for his absence from the event, saying only that he would not be competing while working through a personal health matter. The six-time major champ already missed a chunk of the season on LIV with the same reasoning. He has not commented publicly about the nature of the health matter.
“Unfortunately, I will not play in the Masters Tournament next week and will be out for an extended period of time as my family continues to navigate a personal health matter,” Mickelson wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram account. “I have great respect for Augusta National Golf Club and it is definitely the most special week of the year. I wish everyone the best of luck and will be watching.”
Mickelson missed the first four events of 2026 on LIV while tending to the same family health matter. He returned for his first start of the season at LIV South Africa, shooting 7 under for the week and finishing T48 in the 54-man field.
Golf’s preeminent lefty has been a fixture of the Masters since his very first start in 1991, when he won low amateur honors just three months after claiming his first PGA Tour victory (also as an amateur). Later, after many years of torment (including four third-place finishes), he claimed his first major championship victory at Augusta National 2005, a historic breakthrough capped by an iconic 18th hole birdie. That green jacket preempted two more Masters victories in 2006 and 2010, and many more years in which Mickelson returned to the event to take part in the Champions Dinner and compete as a returning champion.
Mickelson, 55, joins Tiger Woods as star players who will be absent this year at Augusta National. Woods announced Tuesday he would be “stepping away” while he seeks treatment following a DUI crash last week in Florida. The two golfers have never missed the Masters in the same season since the beginning of Woods’ Masters career in 1996.
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