Phil Mickleson has lost his major sponsors within a week of his Saudi comments
Phil Mickelson has lost four of his major sponsors since disparaging comments he made about the proposed Saudi Golf League and PGA Tour became public about 10 days ago. KPMG and Amstel Light were the first sponsors to announce the termination of their partnerships with Mickelson. They were followed by Workaday while Callaway Golf has suspended its partnership with Mickelson.
The Callaway decision in particular is striking because the club manufacturers had announced in 2017 that they would partner Mickelson for the remainder of his playing career.
“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 company said in a statement. “Phil has apologized and we know he regrets how he handled recent events. We recognize his desire to take time away from the game and respect that decision. At this time we have agreed to pause our partnership & will reevaluate our ongoing relationship at a later date.”
There is little precedent for sponsors dropping one of the game’s greatest players en masse. The only situation that is comparable is when Tiger Woods lost sponsors following the revelations about his marital infidelity in 2009-10. At the time Gatorade, Accenture and Gillette all ended their relationships with Woods.
According to Sportico’s 2021 highest paid athlete rankings, Mickelson made US$42 million (over ₹ 300 crores) from sponsors, appearance fees and bonuses in the year before the list’s publication last May and this is what is at stake for him with a single comment he made last year.
Meanwhile Mickelson has said he will take a break from the Tour to reflect on the situation.
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Photo – NY Post