Golf legend Phil Mickelson is denying allegations that he inappropriately touched a female employee at a prestigious Southern California golf club earlier this year.
According to Golf Digest, Mickelson allegedly went to work at the Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe and “made inappropriate contact” with her. After being rejected, she reported the alleged sexual misconduct to her superiors.
Mickelson hired Tom Clare, a leading defamation lawyer, who said the video evidence contradicted the allegations.
“There is a lot of misinformation out there and, although Phil is focused on a private family health issue, he still reserves the right to defamation and is willing to take responsibility for any publication or peddling of false speculation or rumours,” said attorney Tom Clare in a statement to Golf Digest.
Clare did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said it was investigating the allegations but found no evidence of an assault. However, the allegations led to Mickelson’s immediate removal from the golf course and the revocation of his long-term membership to the club.
The Farms Golf Club said in a statement to the golf magazine that it conducted a thorough investigation into the incident before dealing with Mickelson and resisted its decision to terminate his membership.
“Following the report of misconduct by members, the club provided immediate and ongoing support to staff, conducted a thorough independent investigation into the incident and took serious action,” the statement read. “This person is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club.
“To protect the safety and privacy of our staff and members, we cannot comment further on this matter.”
Michelson, 55, retired from professional golf earlier this year due to family health reasons, he stopped playing at LIV Golf South Africa in March. In 2022 he left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, which will lose financial support from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund this fall.
Mickelson, a married father of three, has won six major tournaments on the PGA Tour – three Masters, two PGA Championships and one Open Championship. His estimated career earnings exceed $1 billion, including $97 million in PGA Tour prize money, a $200 million signing bonus for joining LIV Golf and an estimated $800 million in extracurricular and business endorsements.
The allegations of sexual misconduct are the latest in a series of negative headlines surrounding Mickelson, many of which are related to his gambling.
The Detroit News obtained federal court records that said a bookie with mob connections handled Mickelson’s bets and was accused of defrauding the golfer out of $500,000 in 2007.
Mickelson was indicted by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in 2016 for receiving an insider trading tip and buying $931,000 worth of stock from sports gambler Billy Walters. Mickelson was not charged and agreed to repay the money.
Federal auditors investigating Mickelson’s role in the scheme found that his gambling losses totaled more than $40 million from 2010 to 2014, according to Mickelson’s unauthorized biography.
