Phil Mickelson announced on Wednesday that he will not compete in the 2026 Masters Tournament, citing a personal health matter in his family. The three-time Masters champion said he would be stepping away from golf for an extended period to focus on his family. Combined with Tiger Woods’ absence following his DUI arrest last week, the 2026 Masters will be the first time since 1994 that neither Mickelson nor Woods will be in the field at Augusta National — ending a 31-year stretch that defined an entire era of the sport.
What Mickelson Said
Mickelson, 55, shared the news via his social media accounts on April 2, keeping the details private but making clear that the decision was not golf-related. He did not disclose the specific nature of the health matter, saying only that he would not be competing while working through this personal situation. His only competitive appearance in 2026 has been a T48 finish at LIV Golf South Africa last month — he missed the first four LIV Golf League events this season because of the family situation.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley responded with a statement of support, saying Augusta National and the Masters Tournament fully support Mickelson as he focuses on his well-being, and that although Phil would not be joining them in person, he would be missed by everyone in Augusta.
The End of an Era at Augusta
The absence of both Mickelson and Woods from the same Masters is historically significant in ways that transcend a single tournament. Since 1995, at least one of them has been in the Augusta National field every single year. Together, they account for eight green jackets — Woods with five (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019) and Mickelson with three (2004, 2006, 2010) — and their rivalry, mutual respect, and contrasting styles shaped how an entire generation experienced the Masters.
Woods announced last week that he was stepping away from golf indefinitely to seek treatment and focus on his health, following his DUI arrest in Jupiter Island, Florida. He had not competed professionally since The Open Championship in July 2024, and his latest setback makes a competitive return increasingly uncertain. For those tracking what could have been, our guide to the Career Grand Slam race at the 2026 Masters shows how the tournament’s storylines have shifted to a new generation.
Mickelson’s Masters Legacy
Mickelson’s connection to Augusta National runs deeper than his three victories. His 16 top-10 finishes across 32 Masters appearances rank second only behind Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan in Masters history. His scoring average of 71.44 across 120 rounds at Augusta remains under par — a testament to the consistency with which he performed on one of golf’s most demanding courses year after year.
His most iconic Masters moment came in 2004, when a birdie on the 18th hole gave him his first major championship at age 33 — ending years of agonizing near-misses that had earned him the unwanted label of the best player never to win a major. He would go on to win two more green jackets and finish runner-up in 2015 and 2023, proving that Augusta remained a venue where his creative shot-making and legendary short game gave him an edge regardless of age.
What It Means for the 2026 Field
The departures of Mickelson and Woods leave a field that is unquestionably younger, deeper, and more internationally diverse — but one that lacks the gravitational pull that golf’s two biggest names brought to every Masters they entered. Defending champion Rory McIlroy is chasing a repeat, while Scottie Scheffler enters as the betting favorite at +550. Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau arrive from LIV Golf in strong form, making this the first Masters where the best players from all tours compete together since the circuit’s split.
The 2026 field features 91 players, including 22 first-time participants and six amateurs — a new generation that will write its own Augusta stories without the two men who dominated the narrative for three decades. For a deeper look at the full field dynamics, our preview of the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf unified field at Augusta examines how the sport’s fractured landscape comes together for its most prestigious event.
Looking Ahead
Whether Mickelson returns to competitive golf depends entirely on his family’s situation, and he has rightly prioritized that over everything else. Woods’ future is even less certain, with legal proceedings and health concerns adding complexity to what was already an improbable comeback story. The golf world will support both men as they navigate these challenges — but the 2026 Masters will unmistakably feel different without them. Augusta’s azaleas will bloom the same way they always have. But for the first time in a generation, two of the people most synonymous with walking among them won’t be there.
