Golf reporter defends bombshell Phil Mickelson exposé: "A bit of a public service, really"

The journalist and author who published the latest unsettling allegations about multiple major champion Phil Mickelson says he's doing "a public service" by reporting on the hall of famer. 

Mickelson is currently taking some time away from the sport to deal with a "private family health matter" that has reduced him to just one competitive appearance in 2026. 

But last week the six-time major champion was thrust back into the spotlight facing fresh accusations of misconduct after an explosive report was published by Skratch's Alan Shipnuck. 

The claims, which cast a new shadow over Mickelson’s reputation, include allegations that in 2015 he showed a fellow golfer's wife an explicit photo of himself.

The report also quoted a woman accusing Mickelson of behaving inappropriately during a dinner that week and also noted how Lefty has had at least two departures from high-end golf clubs, The Madison Club and The Bridges, where his personal conduct was a factor. 

Shipnuck's bombshell report divided opinion, with some accusing the writer of bias given it was published on a PGA Tour–approved website.

Skratch was set up by the PGA Tour and run by the same company which made the Netflix documentary Full Swing. 

"At least a half-dozen people whom I interviewed for this said something to the effect of 'Someone has to stop this guy, he's just gonna keep harming people,'" Shipunck told Dan Rapaport on the "Dan on Golf" podcast. 

"That resonated with me. So I felt there was an obligation to tell this story almost as a bit of public service, really."

Shipnuck, who also wrote a book about Mickelson, pushed back against the notion that the story has been blown out of proportion. 

"There's definitely a strain of readers who say a) he's a professional athlete, he can chase girls, what's the big deal?" he continued. 

"It's an issue of what's consensual [and] what's not."

He added: "In Phil's case, there's these three very exclusive private clubs where he's no longer a member, and his personal conduct was a big factor. 

"It tells you there's a messiness there, a misbehaviour that's pretty extreme.

"It's just the totality. Each individual incident maybe doesn't warrant a story. We can debate that. 

"[But] when you have this lineup of misbehaviour, there's an obligation to tell that story.”

The Skratch report was published weeks after Golf Digest broke the news that Mickelson is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, following allegations inappropriate contact with a female employee.

The incident is alleged to have occurred earlier this spring. 

According to Mickelson's lawyer, Tom Clare, the golfer resigned his membership. 

Addressing the Skratch report, Clare previously said in a statement: "Some of the allegations circulating about Mr. Mickelson are false, and others revisit mistakes he has already acknowledged, publicly or privately. 

"Stacking the disputed claims next to the ones he has owned does not make them credible. 

"It instead contributes to a false and misleading narrative.

"No person, no article, and no book can present an accurate, complete, or personal story of the life Mr. Mickelson and his family have lived. 

"His story, struggles, and recovery belong to him and to the people who have shared it closely alongside him. Recovery is not a straight line. 

"Throughout their 35-year relationship, his wife, Amy Mickelson, has supported Mr. Mickelson and their family with extraordinary grace, unwavering love, and the belief that people are measured not only by their failures, but by what they do to make them right.

"Mr. Mickelson's priority is to become the husband, father, and man his family deserves. 

"Right now, that means giving his full attention to a private family health matter. 

"He understands that parts of his life are public, but his family's private matters are not."