Phil Mickelson apologized on Tuesday for his comments about the Saudis and the super league proposal, which he said were said to be “off the record” and should not be made public.
He also said in a statement that he had felt the pressure and stress on a deeper level over the past ten years and needed a break. However, he did not specify whether he would take a break from his golf career.
“I am extremely disappointed and will do my best to reflect and learn from this experience,” he said.
Separately, KPMG became the first Mickelson sponsor to announce the end of its partnership, a decision the company said was mutual.
Most damaging in Mickelson’s remarks to author and golf writer Alan Shipnuck is that he called the Saudis funding a separate league proposal “scary”, accompanying the term with an expletive. He also told Shipnuck, who is writing a biography on Mickelson slated for release in May, that it was worth allying with the Saudis, despite their history of human rights abuses, if it meant a chance to change the PGA Tour.
The interview took place last November.
“We know that they killed (the chronicler of the Washington Post Jamal) Khashoggi and that they have an awful human rights record. They execute people there for being gay,” he said. “Knowing all of this, why would I consider it? Because this is a unique opportunity to reshape the way the PGA Tour operates. »
Mickelson said he has always put the interests of golf first, “although that doesn’t appear to be the case now given my recent comments.”
“There is the issue of off-record comments being shared out of context and without my consent,” he said. “But the biggest problem is that I used words that I sincerely regret and that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions. »
Mickelson said he was “deeply sorry” and said his comments were reckless.
A Statement from Phil Mickelson pic.twitter.com/2saaXIxhpu
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 22, 2022
Shipnuck wrote on The Fire Pit Collectivewhere he posted Mickelson’s comments last week that “not once did he say our conversation was off the record or just between us or anything vaguely similar.”
Shipnuck wrote on Twitter Tuesday that Mickelson’s claims that he spoke confidentially were “completely untrue.”
KPMG, meanwhile, said the company and Mickelson have mutually agreed to end an association that has existed since 2008. “We wish him the best,” KPMG said in an email.
Mickelson’s statement, received around the same time as KPMG’s announcement, says he has given his partners the option to take a break or end their relationship “as I understand it might be necessary. given the current circumstances”.
It’s still unclear where Mickelson could play next. In his statement, he concludes: “I know that I haven’t been at my best and that I desperately need some time to prioritize those I love the most and work on become the man I want to be. »
