Lefty is hoping this week is better for his image than last week was.
After receiving heavy criticism for his comments about the Saudi Arabia-funded Super Golf League, Phil Mickelson apologized on Tuesday for his “reckless” choice of words.
“My actions throughout this process have always been with the best interest of golf, my peers, sponsors, and fans,” Mickelson said in a statement. “I used words I sincerely regret that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions. It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words.”
A Statement from Phil Mickelson pic.twitter.com/2saaXIxhpu
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 22, 2022
Last week, author Alan Shipnuck released quotes about Saudi Arabia and the league from a 2021 interview with Mickelson for the book he’s writing on the six-time major champion. Mickelson said he wanted to use the proposed league as “leverage” against the PGA Tour and that he was willing to ignore the country’s human rights abuses concerns to do so.
“They’re scary motherf****** to get involved with,” Mickelson said about Saudi Arabia. “We know they killed [Washington Post reporter Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.
“They’ve been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won’t do what’s right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I’m not sure I even want [the Saudi golf league] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour.”
The 51-year-old was resoundingly criticized by fans, media and pro golfers after the comments were published. One of the harshest critics was Rory McIlroy.
“I don’t want to kick someone while he’s down obviously, but I thought they were naïve, selfish, egotistical, ignorant,” McIlroy told reporters at the Genesis Invitational. “It was just very surprising and disappointing, sad. I’m sure he’s sitting at home sort of rethinking his position and where he goes from here.”
Mickelson also lost sponsors following the comments. Accounting company KPMG on Tuesday released a statement that the company and Mickelson have “mutually agreed” to part ways. Heineken also announced that its Amstel Light brand will no longer sponsor the golfer, according to CNN. He said in his statement that he’s giving his partners “the option to pause or end the relationship.”
Also in Mickelson’s apology post, he claimed that the remarks Shipnuck published were not on the record. Shipnuck said that is “completely false.”
“There is the problem of off-the-record comments being shared out of context and without my consent, but the bigger issue is that I used words that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions,” Mickelson said.
Mickelson hasn’t competed in the last four events, and he said his break from the tour will continue.
“The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level,” he wrote. “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.”
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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