Augusta without its two legends
The news fell like a putt left on the edge of the hole. Phil Mickelson announced that he will not be at the Masters. The reason: a personal family matter that had already kept him away from the greens.
“Unfortunately I will not be playing in the Masters Tournament next week and will be away for an extended period,” Lefty wrote on his networks.
This, added to Tiger Woods’ indefinite break after his traffic incident, means something historic. It will be the first time since 1994 that neither of them will be at Augusta. At the time, Tiger was in high school and Phil had broken his leg skiing.
The weight of an absence
Mickelson calls the Masters “the most special week of the year.” Justly. He won there three times, including that epic birdie putt on the 72nd hole that gave him his first major in 2004.
His current absence comes after a difficult return. He returned to competition two weeks ago in South Africa after missing four LIV Golf events. “It’s just fun to be playing again,” he said there. But now it takes another time.
This is not his first casualty. In 2022 he also missed the Masters, after controversial statements about the PGA Tour and LIV Golf that cost him sponsorships.
The tournament begins on April 9 with 91 players and a place yet to be defined. But for the first time in almost 30 years, without the two faces that defined an era. It feels weird, like an empty practice field on a Sunday morning.
