Phil Mickelson not banned from Masters, says Augusta chairman

• Former champion has chosen to sit out tournament
• Mickelson absent from golf since Saudi tour remarks

Fred Ridley, the chairman of Augusta National, has denied Phil Mickelson was banned by the club from competing in the Masters this week and insisted the former champion's nonappearance in Georgia was entirely the 51-year-old's own decision.

Mickelson has not played since infamous comments relating to his role in a Saudi Arabian-backed breakaway tour emerged in February. The head of the PGA Tour, Jay Monahan, refused to publicly confirm that Mickelson would have been welcome at the Players' Championship last month.