Golfer Phil Mickelson apologized on Tuesday for his comments about Saudi Arabia and its rumored golf league, amid mounting criticism.
The author who quoted the outspoken golfer in an upcoming book says there’s more to the story.
What Happened: Mickelson put out a statement on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, blaming the quote as being used “out of context and without my consent.” His comments are featured in Alan Shipnuck’s forthcoming unauthorized biography of the golfer.
Mickelson had been the most vocal PGA Tour golfer in supporting an unsuccessful attempt to launch a Saudi Arabia-backed golf league. But when talking about the Saudis, he’s quoted in the book saying: “They killed [Washington Post reporter Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights.”
They’re scary motherf***ers to get involved with,” Shipnuck quotes as Mickelson saying. "They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it?"
Mickelson has responded, saying the comments from the upcoming book were off the record, "completely false" and shared by Shipnuck without his consent.
The golfer has issued an apology, saying, "I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."
The controversy over the comments led KPMG to end its sponsorship deal with Mickelson on Tuesday.
What It Matters: Shipnuck says that Mickelson’s interest in the Saudi Golf League (SGL) had a lot to do with his personal financial difficulties and addressing a power disparity between professional golfers and the PGA Tour.
In a story published on The Fire Pit Collective, Shinuck writes that Mickelson’s huge gambling losses may have led to his initial support of the SGL, and that “the Saudi seduction might be born of necessity.”
Shipnuck notes that Mickelson has $94 million in career PGA Tour earnings, and the golfer's decision to sell his Gulfstream in 2019 was a sign of his financial difficulties. The author quotes a person close to Mickelson saying that the sale of the jet was likely due to “serious financial pressure.”
Shipnuck also notes that Mickelson's involvement with the SGL was motivated by a desire to address how players on the Tour are treated. Mickelson is quoted calling the organization a “dictatorship.”
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan had a visceral reaction to players becoming involved with the SGL. Shipnuck writes that Monahan issued a warning that any player who signs on with the Saudi competition would be banned for life by the PGA Tour.
The threat of players joining the SGL caused the PGA to increase players' compensation, Shipnuck writes. Tour officials raised the 2021 Players Championship purse to $15 million and introduced a $40-million Player Impact Program, aimed at encouraging pros to engage with fans through social media.
Shipnuck also notes that Mickelson wants to see players taking possession of their media rights. The issue will become increasingly significant as players don’t own the highlights of their own shots, which could potentially be turned into NFTs and sold to fans or collectors.
Ultimately, Shipnuck describes Mickelson as having “a compulsive need to be seen as the smartest guy in the room,” adding that it remains unclear how the golfer's bluntness will impact the future of PGA players.
“As always, he remains a wild card,” the author concludes.
The book “Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar” has a publication date of May 17, 2022.
Photo: Courtesy of Corn Farmer on Flickr.
