Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson has lost the support of many of his biggest and longest-standing sponsors and commercial partnerships following the 51-year-old American’s controversial statements and involvement with LIV Golf Investments and the prospective Saudi-backed golf league.
Callaway, Workday, KPMG and Heineken are among companies that have either ended or paused partnerships with Mickelson after he released a statement on Tuesday [February 22] acknowledging the comments he made in an interview he gave to golf journalist Alan Shipnuck in November were “reckless.”
Mickelson has received widespread condemnation from fellow players, including Rory McIlroy, for justifying his relationship with the Saudi government – a regime Mickelson conceded that had a “horrible human rights record” and executes “people over there for being gay” – as a means of leveraging his position with the PGA Tour.
Mickelson released a statement via social media last Tuesday which sought to placate his critics as well as justify his comments, many of which, he says, were taken out of context.
The full statement, which Mickelson posted on Twitter, read: “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. 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. I’m beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this.
“Golf desperately needs change, and real change is always preceded by disruption. I have always known that criticism would come with exploring anything new. I still chose to put myself at the forefront of this to inspire change, taking the hits publicly to do the work behind the scenes.
“My experience with LIV Golf Investments has been very positive. The specific people I have worked with are visionaries and have only been supportive. More importantly they passionately love golf and share my drive to make the game better. They have a clear plan to create an updated and positive experience for everyone including players, sponsors, networks, and fans.
“I have incredible partners, and these relationships mean so much more to me than a contract. Many have been my most influential mentors and I consider all to be lifelong friends. The last thing I would ever want to do is compromise them or their business in any way, and I have given all of them the option to pause or end the relationship as I understand it might be necessary given the current circumstances. I believe in these people and companies and will always be here for them with or without a contract.”
In light of the statement, Callaway Golf, Mickelson’s equipment sponsor since 2004, ‘paused’ its relationship with the left-hander. A statement from the company, which was reported by Golf Digest, said: “Callaway does not condone Phil Mickelson’s comments and we were very disappointed in his choice of words – they in no way reflect Callaway’s values or what we stand for as a company. 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.”
Workday, a US-based financial management software company, has decided to drop Mickelson from its list of global ambassadors. A statement from the company said: “At this time, Workday and Phil Mickelson have mutually and amicably agreed to not renew our brand sponsorship that ends this March. We want to thank Phil for his great contributions as a Workday ambassador, both on and off the course. And we continue to wish him and his family all the best.”
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Heineken, the parent company of Amstel, said the beer brand had also ended its ties with the Ryder Cup player. “We made the decision to go our separate ways and end Amstel Light’s partnership with Phil Mickelson. We wish him all the best.”
KPMG also announced it ended its relationship with Mickelson. “KPMG US and Phil Mickelson have mutually agreed to end our sponsorship effective immediately. We wish him the best,” read a statement from a company spokesperson. “KPMG continues to sponsor brand ambassadors on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour and is the title sponsor of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major on the LPGA Tour.”
Over the weekend, the American Express tournament in California announced that it has ended its relationship with Mickelson, who served as the tournament host since 2020. Additionally, the Mickelson Foundation will no longer be the event’s primary charity recipient.
Mickelson said he would now be taking some time away from the game “to prioritize the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be.” He has given no date of his possible return to competition.