For the third time in four years, Phil Mickelson has chosen to opt out of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
Coming off a wire-to-wire win last week in Phoenix that vaulted him back inside the top 10 in the world ranking, Mickelson confirmed Thursday that he will not be in the field of 64 for the season's first World Golf Championship later this month.
Per an Associated Press report, Mickelson will instead take a trip with his family, as his three children are out of school during the event week. The announcement was largely expected, as Mickelson skipped the event both last year and in 2010, and next week's Northern Trust Open will already mark the fifth straight event in which Lefty has participated.
Mickelson's record in the event, which will be held Feb. 20-24 in Marana, Ariz., is less than stellar, as he has advanced as far as the quarterfinals only once in 11 career appearances. With Mickelson sitting out, the 65th-ranked player in the rankings after this week's events will receive a spot in the limited field.
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Gray is an Associate Editor in charge of community and contributing to GolfTalkCentral.
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