For a man who owns three green jackets and has made Augusta National feel like a second home across 31 appearances, watching the Masters from the outside is a different kind of pain entirely. Phil Mickelson, sidelined from the 2026 Masters due to a family health issue, took to X on Saturday as Round 3 unfolded at Augusta. And this time, his tone was notably softer than 24 hours earlier.
“A day later everyone is going for 13 with a mid iron,” he wrote. “I wonder if they moved the tee up to the front, or the warm weather is making a difference. Either way, it’s much more exciting today. I miss being there but it’s such a fun tournament to watch.”
The shift in his message was hard to miss. Just a day before, Mickelson had criticized Augusta’s par-5 13th and 15th holes, arguing that lengthening them had stripped the back nine of its drama.
“Watching the Masters and seeing so few players long enough to go for 13 and 15 has taken away so much excitement and intrigue,” he wrote on Friday.
His frustration had hard numbers behind it. Hole 13, named Azalea, was stretched to 545 yards in 2023, and the 15th was pulled 30 yards back in 2022. On Friday, only one eagle was recorded on each hole, down from four on 13 the previous day. Historically, the 13th has played as the third-easiest hole at Augusta, with 39% of players making birdie or better.
Notably for Phil Mickelson, the 13th is not just a hole he has an opinion about. It is a hole that defined him. In the 2010 Masters final round, with his third green jacket at stake, he was in the pine straw on 13, trees blocking his path, and Rae’s Creek 200 yards ahead. He threaded a 6-iron through a narrow gap between the trees, carried the water, and stuck it four feet away instead of laying it down. A subsequent birdie sealed the win. The shot is considered a Masters classic.
By Saturday, warmer conditions and softer course setup had changed the picture at 13. And the leaderboard reflected the shift, too. Sam Burns’ birdie on 13 moved him to 10-under, level with Rory McIlroy in second, while Tyrrell Hatton and Ludvig Aberg led the field at 11-under through Round 3. The hole was doing what the 55-year-old always believed it should, and he was watching it from home.
A day later everyone is going for 13 with a mid iron.
I wonder if they moved the tee up to the front or the warm weather is making a difference. Either way it’s much more exciting today
I miss being there but it’s such a fun tournament to watch— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) April 11, 2026
Mickelson’s absence is significant. This is only the second time in his career that Mickelson has missed the Masters entirely. He had already skipped the first four LIV Golf events this season due to the same family health matter, and as the situation worsened, he could not avoid missing Augusta as well. The record he leaves behind at this tournament makes it more glaring. Three titles in 2004, 2006, and 2010. Eleven Top-5 finishes, tying Tiger Woods for second-best all-time. A scoring average of 71.3 at Augusta, second only to Woods among players with at least 75 rounds. Twenty-eight cuts made in 31 appearances.
The man who once hit a 6-iron from the pine straw and made it look inevitable is now watching someone else do it on a screen. He is missing Augusta, but is Augusta also missing him?
A seat that shouldn’t be empty at Masters
Rory McIlroy, who completed his Grand Slam at Augusta last year, made a point to acknowledge Mickelson’s and Woods’ absences at the Champions Dinner. “Unfortunately, there will be a couple of guys that won’t be in that room, which is a shame,” McIlroy said. “They’ve been two of the greatest champions that the Masters has ever seen.”
What makes that acknowledgment more significant is that McIlroy really owes Mickelson something more. About 15 years ago, Mickelson told a nervous and awestruck McIlroy to go after Augusta hard during a practice session. The golfer said he didn’t buy it back then. He finally did it in 2025 and won his first Masters.
Even Patrick Reed felt the weight of both absences. “Without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the events when they both step away, honestly, I feel it hurts the game of golf,” Reed said, adding that he wants both back healthy.
Woods and Mickelson didn’t just play the Masters; they changed what it meant to watch it. When players stop in the middle of a tournament to point out empty seats, it shows how much of a presence Mickelson had in 31 tournaments at Augusta.
