Golf legend Phil Mickelson is refuting an accusation that he inappropriately touched a female employee at a prestigious golf club in Southern California a few months ago.<\/p>\n
According to Golf Digest<\/a>, Mickelson allegedly approached the worker at the Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe and made \u201cnonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact.\u201d After she rejected him, she reported to her supervisors and accused him of sexual misconduct.<\/p>\n Mickelson hired Tom Clare<\/a>, a top defamation attorney, who said video evidence contradicted the allegations.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a great deal of misinformation circulating and, while Phil\u2019s 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,\u201d Clare said in a statement to Golf Digest.<\/p>\n Clare did not immediately respond to The Times\u2019 request for comment.<\/p>\n The San Diego County Sheriff\u2019s Office said it investigated but found no evidence of an assault. However, the allegation resulted in the immediate removal of Mickelson from the golf grounds and revocation of his longtime membership at the club.<\/p>\n The 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 Farms also said no video cameras were in the area where the misconduct allegedly occurred. <\/p>\n \u201cFollowing 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,\u201d the statement read. \u201cThis individual is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club.<\/p>\n \u201cTo protect the safety and privacy of our staff and member, we are unable to speak further on the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Mickelson, who turns 56 next week, withdrew from professional golf this year<\/a> because of family health reasons, last playing at the LIV Golf South Africa<\/a> in March. A married father of three, Mickelson won six major tournaments on the PGA Tour \u2014 three Masters, two PGA Championships and one British Open \u2014 before he left the tour in 2022 for the upstart LIV Golf League, which will lose the financial backing of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund this fall. <\/p>\n His estimated career earnings <\/a>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 endorsements and business ventures.<\/p>\n Mickelson was one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour before his controversial move to LIV and comments about his Saudi backers, and his career survived some unsavory headlines, several of which pertained to gambling.<\/p>\n