2. Crisis Management

Phil Mickelson Crisis Management

One of the most well-known names in golf, Phil Mickelson, is again making headlines.

Golf's favorite "Lefty" has made an impression in the PGA since he turned professional in 1992. Since his debut, Mickelson has won "45 events on the PGA Tour, including six major championships: three Masters titles, two PGA Championships, and one Open Championship". 

Phil Mickelson has undoubtedly made an impact on the PGA Tour and has recently expressed his support behind a competitive league in Saudi Arabia.

For the past two years, rumors of a new Saudi Arabia golf tour have dominated the professional golf world. This new rival golf tour has created a controversial conversation within the PGA Tour and has pulled well-known golfers within the drama as well.

LIV Golf Investments is the Saudi-backed company behind the Asian Tour's new International Series. This company is investing in the future of golf within the expansion of the Asian Tour. Just recently, the company announced a $300 million, 10-year investment in the Asian Tour.

While the new Saudi-backed tour itself is a controversial topic in the golf world, Phil Mickelson's involvement in the past few months has created a deeper conflict regarding the tour. 

Most of the major backlash involving Phil Mickelson stems from an interview from November 2021. Saudi Arabia is infamous for its human rights violations. These known violations have posed a huge conflict between the newest Saudi-backed golf league and their most recent ambassadors for the tour, specifically Phil Mickelson.

In November of 2021, Phil Mickelson commented on his recent commitment and support to the Saudi-backed golf tour. 

In his statement, he referenced the known "horrible record" of human rights violations in Saudi Arabia and defended his position within the tour. 

In his interview Phil Mickelson stated, 

"We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights," he told The Fire Pit Collective. "They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape how the PGA Tour operates."

After these comments surfaced of Mickelson disregarding the horrific events of Saudi Arabia, Phil received major backlash for his distasteful thoughts and opinions. 

While Mickelson claims these comments were taken "out of context", the majority of reactions from other golf professionals and news outlets refer to his insensitive comments as an example of "moral bankruptcy". 

Other well-known golfers on the PGA Tour took to the media about Mickelson's comments. Rory McIlroy, the 7th ranked PGA player in the world, was asked his opinion about Mickelson's comments, to which he replied:

“I don't want to kick someone while he's down obviously, but I thought they were naïve, selfish, egotistical, ignorant’’.

Rory's response to Mickelson's comments started a surge of backlash to the already hot controversy. Almost immediately after Mickelson's comments came to light, Phil Mickelson's major sponsors began to pull away from representing Mickelson in the game of golf. 

Already previously stated, Mickelson is one of the biggest names in the game of golf, and he is also one of the higher money-leaders in golf as well. Every year Mickelson earns around $40 million, based solely on his endorsements. Even if you aren't an avid golf fan, you have most likely seen his many commercials on television for different medications, specifically Enbrel.

Some of his other well-known sponsorships, within the golf world, are Callaway and his almost decade-long sponsorship with KPMG. 

Callaway is one of the biggest brands in golf and has represented Mickelson since 2004. This February, in light of recent events, Callaway has decided to put a "pause" on their sponsorship with Phil Mickelson. 

Callaway released a full statement about the situation stating, 

"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."

 

Callaway is not the only sponsor to drop Mickelson during this controversy, one of Phil Mickelson's most loyal endorsements, KPMG, has distanced itself from Mickelson as well. 

Both KPMG and Phil Mickelson have released statements regarding the "mutual" ending of their partnership. 

In a lengthy statement, Mickelson stated he gave each of his sponsorships, 

“the option to pause or end the relationship as I understand it might be necessary given the current circumstances”.

Since Mickelson's sponsorships have been pulled, Phil Mickelson has released statements via social media, apologizing for his comments towards the Saudi-backed golf league. 

 

A Statement from Phil Mickelson pic.twitter.com/2saaXIxhpu

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 22, 2022

(Fans' reactions to Mickelson's apology on Twitter). Although Mickelson apologized on his social media platforms (Twitter and Instagram), he has continued to receive backlash, specifically for the absence of an apology to the PGA Tour. 

Many fans have criticized Mickelson's disregard for the PGA Tour and the success he has achieved during his time on the tour. Mickelson has also received backlash for his seemingly "insincere" apology and his blameful tone throughout the statement.

While Phil Mickelson still has work to do to earn his "good name" back in the golf world, he is making small steps through his efforts. Although his comments cannot be fixed with an apology, Mickelson has made substantial moves in the right direction to restore his reputation. To appease his fans and sponsors, he needs to focus on restoring his reputation by following through with his word and working on the man he "needs to become". But even though Phil has made attempts to right his wrongs, as long as he continues with his support of the Saudi-backed golf league, he will continue to face backlash from fans, sponsors, fellow players, and the PGA Tour itself.