Phil Mickelson to miss next month's Masters

Three-time champion Phil Mickelson will miss the Masters for the first time in 28 years.

Lefty was removed from the list of active players competing at the tournament on Monday.

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan won the Masters last year.

The Saudi Arabian-backed golf series was involved with the US PGA champion, but he faced backlash for comments he made in November.

Before the publication of his unauthorized biography of the American, Shipnuck released the interview last month in which Mickelson branded the Saudi regime as "scary", but said the project was a "once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine how the PGA Tour operates".

Although he claimed his comments were taken out of context, he admitted his comments were reckless and that he was deeply sorry for his choice of words.

Lefty said he would use his time away from golf to work on becoming the man he wants to be.