Phil Mickelson has "gone dark" since announcing his indefinite break from professional golf, according to Bryson DeChambeau.
Controversial comments made by Mickelson to an author about the proposed Saudi-backed Golf Super League were made public in February. He was widely criticised for considering using the proposed breakaway league as financial leverage against the PGA Tour despite describing the Saudis as "scary motherf*****s".
In a lengthy statement announcing his break from the game, the 51-year-old wrote: "The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level. I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritise the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be."
He has been silent ever since on social media, while it appears the same is true in terms of more personal communications. Fellow American golf star DeChambeau was asked ahead of this week's Masters if he had heard anything from Mickelson over the past few weeks.
"I've tried to reach out, but he's gone dark," was his reply. "There's no contact." It comes after PGA commissioner Jay Monahan also said he had not spoken with the six-time major winner. "He [Mickelson] has said that he's stepping away and he wants time for reflection - that's something that I and we are going to respect and honour," he said last month.
"I have not talked to Phil since he made his comments and since he said that he was stepping away. Like I said, I think the ball is in his court. I would welcome a phone call from him. But it's hard for me to talk about the different scenarios that could play out."
Mickelson is a three-time winner at the Masters, having finally broken his duck in 2004 before going on to win it again in 2006 and 2010. He will not be playing at the event this year, marking the first time he has not featured at the Masters since 1994.
A report last month suggested that the decision had been taken out of the player's hands, with Golfweek suggesting that bosses at Augusta had told him not to bother showing up in Georgia.
It caps off a nightmare few months for Mickelson, who has also been deserted by some of his long-standing sponsors over the whole affair. Golf equipment brand Callaway "paused" its partnership with the under-fire golfer, while other firms to have walked away include KPMG, Workday and Amstel Light.
