Phil Mickelson has been deserted by two of his main sponsors in Callaway and Workday, after the American’s controversial comments on the proposed Saudi Golf League (SGL).
Mickelson’s once shining PGA Tour reputation has been left in tatters in recent weeks after slamming the US-based circuit and backing the contentious Saudi League.
The 51-year-old came under huge scrutiny after describing the state of Saudi Arabia as ‘ scary motherf*****s ’ in his new biography 'Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar'.
As well as this, Mickelson was also seen justifying joining the circuit that is backed by a government with a track record of human rights abuse in order to gain ‘leverage’ on the PGA Tour.
The SGL was reportedly offering some of golf’s biggest stars mega-money deals to lure them away from the Tour in favour of a Saudi state-funded event, with Mickelson one of those keen to make the lucrative move.
However, his allegiance to the SGL has seemingly done the opposite in terms of his finances, after both Callaway and Workday pulled the plug on their connection with the 51-year-old in the aftermath.
Mickelson had been Callaway’s leading figure across two decades, and appeared as the face of the brand’s newly designed driver released for 2022.
But the golf manufacturer revealed in a statement that they had ‘paused’ their relationship with the six-time major winner due to his recent comments.
The company said: “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.
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“Phil has since apologised 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.”
Callaway and Workday now join both KPMG and Amstel Light in cutting their ties with the 45-time PGA Tour winner.
Mickelson himself did issue a statement regarding the backlash last week, apologising for his comments that he believes were ‘taken out of context’ w hilst also revealing he would now take a break away from golf.
He said: “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…
“The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level.
”I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritise the ones I love most, and work on being the man I want to be."
