MICKELSON WILL NOT DEFEND US PGA TITLE, SAY ORGANISERS

PHIL MICKELSON will not defend his title in next week’s US PGA Championship at Southern Hills, tournament organisers have announced.

Mickelson has been taking a break from golf since the fall-out from his explosive comments about the PGA Tour and the Saudibacked breakaway spearheaded by Greg Norman. The six-time major winner registered for the US PGA and next month’s US Open on April 25 and also requested a release from the PGA Tour to play the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event from June 9-11. That was denied by the PGA Tour earlier this week.