Reigning PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson, who hasn't played competitively in more than three months, won't defend his title next week at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"We have just been informed that Phil Mickelson has withdrawn from the PGA Championship," the statement said.

Last month, Mickelson, a six-time major champion, skipped the Masters, an event he won three times, for the first time since 1994.

He hasn't played on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in late January.

PGA Tour pro Charley Hoffman, who also grew up in San Diego and is one of Mickelson's closest friends, told ESPN on Wednesday that he would be surprised if Mickelson played at Southern Hills.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Mickelson is just the fourth golfer in the last 50 years not to attempt to defend his title at a major the next year.