PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Is Phil Mickelson suspended from the PGA Tour, or isn’t he?

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, speaking on Tuesday in advance of this week’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, spoke in circles on the topic, at times speaking out of both sides of his mouth.

In doing so, Monahan sure made it sound as if Mickelson may have been suspended for explosive comments he made about the PGA Tour’s “obnoxious greed’’ as well as his dealings with the proposed Saudi-backed golf league fronted by Greg Norman.

“Listen, I’m not going to comment — we don’t comment — on disciplinary matters,’’ Monahan said. “Phil has asked for some time to step away, and I’m not going to comment any further on that.’’

Mickelson, 51, issued a statement last month, apologizing for what he termed as “reckless’’ comments and saying he was “deeply sorry for my choice of words.’’

“I’m beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this,” Mickelson said in the statement. “I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritize the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be.’’

Whether that “time away’’ is a result of a suspension or simply Mickelson opting to take it on his own remains uncertain.

“I have not talked to Phil since he made his comments and since he said that he was stepping away,’’ Monahan said. “I think the ball is in his court. I would welcome a phone call from him. He 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 honor. When he’s ready to come back to the PGA Tour, we’re going to have that conversation. That’s a conversation I look forward to.”

Those words suggest that Mickelson is required to speak to Monahan before he plays another tournament.

When Monahan was asked specifically whether, had Mickelson not opted to take “time away’’ and wanted to play in The Players Championship this week, he would have been “welcome’’ to do so, the commissioner waffled.

“We don’t comment on disciplinary matters, potential matters or actual matters,’’ Monahan said. “But every player is accountable for their actions out here.’’

Those words — “every player is accountable for their actions out here’’ — carry significant read-between-the-lines weight and leave a lot of questions unanswered.

Neither Mickelson nor his representatives have commented about whether or not he has been suspended.

Monahan’s non-answers on the topic represent Exhibit A regarding the lack of transparency on the part of the Tour. Every other sport announces when a player has been suspended. The PGA Tour, curiously, does not.

“I think the one thing that the Tour in general could do a better job at is transparency, whether that be with … yeah, just with everything,’’ Rory McIlroy said Tuesday, going as far as to call the Tour a “closed shop.’’

“I’ve always felt that a few of the bans or suspensions, I think that should all be announced,’’ McIlroy said. “I think that should be more transparent.’’

When informed of McIlroy’s comments, Monahan joked: “He just said that? I would just say effective immediately, Rory McIlroy is suspended.”

“No, listen, Rory is a member of our policy board, he’s a player director,’’ Monahan said. “That [transparency] is something that has been raised in the past, and if that’s something that a member of our board feels strongly about, rest assured it’s a conversation we’ll have with our Player Advisory Council and ultimately our board. “It’s a criticism that has been lobbied against the PGA Tour through the years and I think we always have to be open to evolving. That’s something that we are open to.’’

The next pressure point to this Mickelson issue will be at the Masters next month at Augusta National, where he has won three green jackets. Technically, the Masters is a PGA Tour event, but the powers that be at Augusta walk to their own beat. They revere their past champions and Mickelson remains one of the most popular players in the world.

Mickelson cherishes the Masters like no other tournament and at his age he knows the window is closing rapidly on the number of chances he has to win a fourth green jacket. So, despite his “time away,’’ it’s difficult to imagine him skipping this year’s Masters by his own choice.

“Listen, he’s a player that’s won 45 times on the PGA Tour,’’ Monahan said. “He’s had a Hall of Fame career. He’s won here at The Players Championship. He’s inspired a lot of people and helped grow this Tour, his Tour. So, as difficult as it is to read some of the things that were said, ultimately a conversation will be had when he’s ready to have it, and I will be ready to have it, as well.’’