The comments made by Phil Mickelson about Saudi Arabia are beginning to cost him in a big way. As reported by CBS Sports, sponsors are starting to cut ties with the golf star following his comments about the Saudi Arabia government and the Super Golf League. KPMG was the first to announce it was cutting ties with Lefty. The company was then followed by Amstel and Callaway.
“Callaway does not condone Phil Mickelson’s comments and we were very disappointed in his choice of words – they in no way reflect our values or what we stand for as a company,” the statement read. “Phil has since apologized and we know he regrets how he handled recent events. We recognize his desire to take some time away from the game and respect that decision. At this time, we have agreed to pause our partnership and will re-evaluate our ongoing relationship at a later date.”
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A spokesperson from Heineken, Amstel’s parent company, said, “We made the decision to go our separate ways and end Amstel Light’s partnership with Phil Mickelson. “We wish him all the best.” Mickelson called the people from Saudi Arana “scary motherf—” in an excerpt from Alana Shipnuck’s biography on Mickelson which has not yet been released. On Friday, the PGA Tourn announced that Mickelson was out as the host of the American Express, the tour’s annual stop in Palm Springs.
“They’re scary motherf— to get involved with,” Mickelson said to Shipnuck, per the Palm Springs Desert Sun. “We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident 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.”
Last week, Mickelson released a statement about his controversial comments. “Although it doesn’t look this way now given my recent comments, my actions throughout this process have always been with the best interest of golf, my peers, sponsors and fans,” Mickelson said. “There is the problem of off-record comments being shared out of context and without my consent, but the bigger issue is that I used words I sincerely regret that do not reflect my feelings or intentions. It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words.”
