Phil Mickelson is not playing in the 2026 Masters due to family health issues. However, he is not completely absent from the conversation around the event. In fact, he found himself at the center of a heated fan backlash after a series of posts on X. It all began as a critique of Augusta National’s evolving setup. However, it soon turned into a conversation that made people call him an outright “liar.”
The backlash started from an X post by Phil Mickelson.
“Watching @TheMasters and seeing so few players long enough to go for 13 &15 now has taken away so much excitement and intrigue to the back nine. Another example of how longer isn’t always better,” Lefty wrote in an X post.
Replying to his own post, he then wrote, “Not a single eagle putt on 13. Crazy 
.”
While he made this claim, it was not true at all. Sharing the actual data, Fried Egg Golf’s community manager Will Knights revealed the names of those who have made the putt on hole no 13.
“Jake Knapp, Kristoffer Reitan, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Max Greyserman, Sami Valimaki, and Keegan Bradley all putted for eagle today.”
Mickelson then went back on his words and tried to defend himself by writing, “6 of 90. Like I said ‘so few.’”
6 of 90. Like I said “so few”
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) April 11, 2026
Phil Mickelson uploaded the post reflecting the extra yards added to the iconic par-5 13th hole. Augusta National lengthened it from 510 yards to 545 yards ahead of the 2023 Masters. It made an immediate difference. It is considered one of the easiest holes at the event, alongside the par-5 2nd hole.
The 3x Masters champion claimed that the additional yards cost eagles on hole 5, referring to the first two rounds in 2026. However, his claim was inaccurate.
Jake Knapp made an eagle putt on 13 in Round 2. His tee shot was 324 yards, which he followed with 216 yards from the fairway. This left only 12 feet to the hole, which he managed to hit in his 3rd shot to complete the eagle.
Kristoffer Reitan achieved this feat in his first round. His tee shot was 297 yards, leaving 237 yards for the pin. However, he hit 246 yards, and the ball went 9 yards past the pin. Then he hit the eagle shot to move 3-under at that point.
While Will Knights mentioned the names of Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Max Greyserman, Sami Valimaki, and Keegan Bradley, they didn’t get an eagle putt on the 13th or the 15th. However, there are a few others who achieved that feat.
Shane Lowry hit an eagle in the opening round on No. 13. Tommy Fleetwood hit an eagle in Round 2 on the 15th. Then there’s Haotong Li, who got it on the 15th in the opening round on Thursday. Similarly, a few others got it too.
So, while Knights’ reply was also not fully accurate, it was Phil Mickelson who had to face the backlash from fans.
Fans call out Mickelson’s words as backlash intensifies
The reaction from fans was swift. And it was far from forgiving. What stood out wasn’t just disagreement with Phil Mickelson’s take, but frustration over what many saw as a clear contradiction in his own words.
“No, you said ‘Not a single eagle putt’. Liar,” one user wrote, while another said, “Not at all what you said Phil.”
Mickelson’s pivot to “6 of 90. Like I said ‘so few’” ignored the discrepancy. This also mirrors his 2022 LIV Golf move controversy. Before moving to LIV Golf, he called Saudis “scary m—–f——s” in a Fire Pit Collective interview. However, he then apologized, claiming that the words were taken “out of context.” He claimed that the words were not reflective of his intentions despite owning the LIV deal.
While some fans outright called him a liar, others took a subtle jab at him. “Does Phil know the things you type on Twitter are not like real-life conversation where the words disappear after you speak them,” one user wrote.
Although Mickelson turned away from his words, he has himself demanded facts and credentials. For instance, during his 2024 spat with GOLF’s Dylan Dethier, he asked him to get his facts straight. Dethier denied Lefty’s claim that the PGA Tour has NFTs worth billions.
In response, Mickelson said Ron Price told Congress the PGA Tour had less than $3 billion in assets. But four months later, the Tour sold a stake to SSG on a valuation of 12.5 billion. According to him, the difference was because of digital assets in the form of NFTs.
Another fan said, “The way you’ve wrecked your legacy will be studied for generations.”
Once, Mickelson was a beloved 6-major winner and PGA loyalist with 45 Tour victories. However, Phil Mickelson’s 2022 LIV defection tainted his image. Many PGA Tour professionals also criticized him. Rory McIlroy, for instance, called his comments “naïve, selfish,” while Billy Horschel labeled them “idiotic lies.” This led to pariah status and Open ineligibility.
One user mocked the 6x major champion, saying, “Do you understand English!?”
What started as a critique of the course setup quickly turned into a debate about credibility. Phil Mickelson may have had a broader point about Augusta National’s changing dynamics, but the wording of his posts ended up overshadowing the argument itself.
