The bad news keeps coming for Phil Mickelson.
The PGA Tour told The Desert Sun on Saturday that Mickelson will no longer be the host of The American Express event in La Quinta, California. The Mickelson Foundation, which was created in 2019 and had a contract to be the charitable benefactor of the tournament through 2024, will also no longer be associated with the event.
The decision by the tour comes after a slew of sponsors have distanced themselves from the six-time major champion due to comments he made about the proposed Saudi Arabian-backed golf league. Callaway Golf has paused its relationship with Mickelson, while Workday, Amstel Light and KPMG have all cut ties with the 51-year-old golfer.
Mickelson, who has served as The American Express tournament’s host since 2020, told author Alan Shipnuck that he was willing to overlook Saudi Arabia’s human rights concerns if it meant using the proposed league as “leverage” against the PGA Tour.
“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.”
Lefty was slammed by many in the golf world after the comments, which he claimed were meant to be off the record, were published. Shipnuck called Mickelson’s claim that he was off the record “completely false.”
Mickelson, who is currently taking time away from the course, apologized last week for his “reckless” comments.
“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
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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