Phil Mickelson says video evidence will prove he did nothing wrong — but the club that kicked him out says no such video exists.
Story Snapshot
- The Farms Golf Club near San Diego revoked Mickelson’s longtime membership after a female employee accused him of unwanted physical contact.
- Mickelson’s attorney claims objective video evidence clears his client — the club says there is no video of the incident.
- Mickelson’s team says the matter was already resolved as a misunderstanding before the story went public.
- No criminal charges have been filed, but the public dispute has put Mickelson’s reputation back under a harsh spotlight.
What the Club Says Happened
The Farms Golf Club, a private club in Rancho Santa Fe outside San Diego, revoked Mickelson’s membership after a female staff member reported misconduct. The club released a statement saying it provided “immediate and ongoing support” to the employee after the report was made and took action following its own investigation. The club did not spell out exactly what Mickelson allegedly did, but multiple outlets reported the contact was described as “non-consensual and inappropriate.” [2]
Golf Digest broke the story, and major sports outlets picked it up fast. According to those reports, the incident happened earlier in the spring, and the club acted to remove Mickelson from its membership rolls. The Farms is an exclusive private club, and Mickelson had been a member there for years. Losing that membership is not a small thing — it is a public mark against a man who has spent decades building a fan-friendly image. [1]
Mickelson Fights Back Hard and Fast
Mickelson’s camp did not stay quiet. His attorney, Tom Clare, told Golf Digest that “objective video evidence” refutes the allegation entirely. That is a strong, specific claim — the kind that either holds up or blows up. The club fired back by saying there is no video of the incident at all, which creates a direct conflict between the two sides on a basic factual question. [2] Either the video exists and shows what Clare says it shows, or it does not exist and Mickelson’s defense has a serious problem.
A Mickelson spokesperson also told reporters the matter had already been resolved as a misunderstanding before Golf Digest published anything. That framing matters. If true, it suggests the club acted anyway — or that the two sides have very different ideas of what “resolved” means. The gap between those two versions of events is where this story gets complicated. [3]
The Evidentiary Dispute at the Center of This Story
The video question is the hinge point of this entire case. Mickelson’s attorney went on record with a specific claim about video evidence. That is not a vague denial — it is a concrete assertion that can be tested. The club’s counter-claim, that no video of the incident exists, is equally concrete. One of these statements is wrong. Until that conflict gets resolved, the public is left choosing sides based on reputation rather than facts.
Retaining top-tier defamation counsel and claiming surveillance video completely absolves him shows Phil Mickelson is prepared to go to absolute war over his reputation. If the footage proves the allegations are false, the financial and legal fallout for the club officials who…
— SOLOMON TERESE (@SOLO_TIZZY) June 13, 2026
Private clubs operate under their own rules. They can revoke membership for conduct violations without the same burden of proof a court would require. That is their right, and it is how private organizations have always worked. But it also means a member can lose standing based on an internal process the public never fully sees. That is worth keeping in mind before treating the club’s action as a verdict on what actually happened. [3]
What This Means for Mickelson’s Already Complicated Legacy
Mickelson is 54 years old and already carrying baggage. He drew heavy criticism in 2022 for comments he made about the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league and took a long break from public life after that fallout. He came back, kept playing, and seemed to be slowly rebuilding goodwill with fans. This new allegation lands at a moment when his legacy was still unsettled. The timing could not be worse for a man who has always cared deeply about how the public sees him. [1]
No criminal charges have been filed. No lawsuit has been announced. What exists right now is a club’s decision, a denial backed by a disputed video claim, and a story that spread worldwide in hours. Mickelson deserves the same standard anyone else does — the facts need to come out before conclusions get set in stone. Right now, the facts are still very much in dispute. [2]
Sources:
[1] Web – Phil Mickelson is pushing back hard after allegations got him kicked …
[2] Web – Report: Phil Mickelson’s club membership revoked over alleged …
[3] Web – Phil Mickelson loses club membership amid alleged ‘non …



