Golfer Phil Mickelson is refuting a sexual misconduct accusation tied to Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, with his attorney saying video evidence contradicts the claim. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office investigated and found no evidence of an assault,
Phil Mickelson’s version of events hinges on one word his lawyer used: misinformation.
The golf legend is refuting an accusation that he inappropriately touched a female employee at a prestigious golf club in Southern California this year. The claim. reported by Golf Digest. alleges that Mickelson approached the worker at Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe and made “nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact.” The worker. after rejecting him. reported the incident to her supervisors and accused him of sexual misconduct.
Mickelson has hired Tom Clare, described as a top defamation attorney, who said video evidence contradicts the allegations. Clare said in a statement to Golf Digest. “There is a great deal of misinformation circulating and. while Phil’s full attention is devoted to a private family health matter. he has retained defamation counsel and is determined to hold accountable any publication or individual trafficking in speculation or false rumors.” Clare did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said it investigated but found no evidence of an assault. Even so, the allegation led to immediate consequences at the club: Mickelson was removed from the golf grounds and his longtime membership at the club was revoked.
Farms Golf Club said in a statement to the golf magazine that it conducted a thorough investigation before confronting Mickelson and stood by its decision to end his membership. The club said. “Following a staff member report of member misconduct. the club provided immediate and ongoing support to the staff member. conducted a thorough independent investigation of the incident and took decisive action. ” adding. “This individual is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club.” It also said. “To protect the safety and privacy of our staff and member. we are unable to speak further on the matter.”.
Mickelson, 55, has spent much of this year away from the spotlight. He withdrew from professional golf this year because of family health reasons, with his last appearance coming at the LIV Golf South Africa in March.
The allegation lands against a backdrop that has already brought Mickelson repeated scrutiny in recent years. He is a married father of three and won six major tournaments on the PGA Tour—three Masters. two PGA championships and one Open Championship—before leaving the tour in 2022 to join LIV Golf. That league will lose the financial backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund this fall. Mickelson’s estimated career earnings exceed $1 billion. including $97 million in PGA Tour prize money. a reported $200 million signing bonus to join LIV Golf. and an estimated $800 million from off-course endorsements and business ventures.
His attorney’s claims about video evidence and misinformation collide with the reality that the club acted quickly based on the staff member report. and law enforcement reported finding no evidence of an assault. The result is a dispute where the same sequence of events—an accusation. an investigation. and decisive membership action—has been met with sharply different versions of what the video can show.
Earlier headlines have also swirled around Mickelson’s gambling. The Detroit News obtained federal court records that claimed a mob-connected bookie handled bets for Mickelson and was accused of cheating the golfer out of $500. 000 in 2007. Mickelson was accused by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2016 of getting an insider trading tip and buying $931,000 of stock from sports gambler Billy Walters. He was not charged and agreed to pay back the amount. 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 an unauthorized biography of Mickelson.
Phil Mickelson sexual misconduct allegation Farms Golf Club Rancho Santa Fe Tom Clare video evidence San Diego County Sheriff’s Office defamation LIV Golf