Bryson DeChambeau is set to return to the PGA Tour next week. Phil Mickelson is not.
DeChambo, who has not played since missing out on the Farmers Insurance Open in late January, is on the field for next week’s TPC Sawgrass championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Mickelson, who has been heavily criticized for his comments on the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s financial backers on the proposed breakaway chain, also failed to play after missing the Farmers Insurance Open.
DeChambo withdrew from the invitation of Arnold Palmer, an event he won last year on Monday, citing his continued recovery from a prolonged injury to his left arm.
The 28-year-old DeChambo has competed in only two official events of the PGA Tour this season, finishing 25th in the Sentry Tournament of Champions before missing the weekend at Farmers. He is 196th in the FedEx Cup rankings.
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De Chambo withdrew from the second round of Saudi International in February due to injuries to his left arm and left thigh after shooting 3 over 73 in the first round. He later said he was injured in a fall earlier that week.
As for Mickelson, this will be only his third missed Players Championship since becoming a pro; before that he skipped the events of 1994 and 2003.
Author Alan Shipnack released an excerpt from his upcoming unauthorized biography of Mickelson two weeks ago. In it, Mickelson described the Saudis as “terrible,” but said he was looking beyond their controversial history of human rights abuses to gain influence with the PGA Tour.
In a statement last week, Mickelson said he was devoting time to golf “to give priority to those he loves the most and to work on being the person he wants to be.”
Mickelson’s comments prompted longtime sponsors Amstel Light, KPMG and Workday to end their relationship with him. Callaway, who signed with him in 2017 for the rest of his career, also stopped sponsoring the six-time grand champion.