Ashley Perez, the former wife of PGA Tour player Pat Perez, has spoken publicly about allegations involving Phil Mickelson, claiming that an incident between the pair occurred during a PGA Tour event in 2015.
The allegations were detailed in a recent report, in which Ashley Perez described an evening spent with Mickelson and her then-husband during a tournament week in New York. According to her account, the incident allegedly occurred after Pat Perez temporarily left the room.
Ashley alleged that Mickelson showed her an explicit photograph on his phone and made comments that she described as inappropriate. She said she chose not to immediately tell her husband because she did not want to distract him while he was competing.
“I want to give other women the courage to share their truth,” Ashley said in the report. “With Phil, I feel like the pattern has been there for years, but people have been afraid to go public because it’s Phil Mickelson.”
She further alleged that professional athletes should be held accountable for their actions regardless of their status.
“Being a pro athlete doesn’t exempt you from behaving respectfully in society,” she said.
The allegations have attracted significant attention throughout the golf world, particularly because Pat Perez had previously alluded to an incident involving Mickelson during a podcast appearance in 2022.
At the time, Perez stated that Mickelson had “crossed the line” and described the situation as “uncrossable and unforgivable,” though he did not publicly provide details.
“He knows he screwed up,” Perez said during the podcast appearance. “He apologised for the action, but I cannot forgive him.”
Phil Mickelson’s attorney, Tom Clare, has strongly disputed several of the allegations. In a statement, he said that some claims are “outright false” while others revisit matters that Mickelson has already addressed publicly or privately.
“Stacking disputed claims next to matters he has already acknowledged does not make them credible,” the attorney said. “It contributes to a false and misleading narrative.”
The legal statement also emphasized that Mickelson is currently focused on his family and a private health matter that has kept him away from professional golf for much of the season.
The controversy comes shortly after Mickelson withdrew from The Open Championship and amid additional reports concerning alleged inappropriate conduct at private golf clubs in California, allegations that his representatives have also disputed.
At this time, the allegations made by Ashley Perez remain disputed, and no criminal charges have been filed against Mickelson.
The six-time major champion has largely remained out of the public eye in recent months while dealing with personal and family matters.
As the situation continues to develop, the golf world remains focused on both the allegations and Mickelson’s future in professional golf.