(CNN)Six-time golf major winner Phil Mickelson said Tuesday that recent comments he made about a reported breakaway golf tour were unofficial — a claim the reporter who interviewed him has denied — saying, they were taken out of context and shared without his consent.
The Super League is reportedly a Saudi Arabia-backed proposed venture trying to lure golfers away from golf’s major tournaments, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, with big-money offers.
Some of the world’s top professional golfers have recently reaffirmed their commitment to the PGA Tour, including Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau.
But last week, Mickelson was quoted from a 2021 interview with author Alan Shipnuck for his forthcoming book, Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar, in which he said he was considering would to join the proposed Super League because it’s a “unique opportunity to reshape the way the PGA Tour works.”
The player is further quoted as saying, “Saudi money has finally given us (the players) that leverage” to change things at the PGA.
Shipnuck quoted Mickelson as making derogatory remarks about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and claiming that the kingdom had killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“My actions during this process have always been in the best interest of the sport of golf, my colleagues, sponsors and fans,” Mickelson said in his statement Tuesday. “I have used words that I sincerely regret that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions. It was inconsiderate, I insulted people and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words.”
The three-time Masters winner went on to say the sport “is in dire need of change and real change always precedes disruption”.
“I always knew that when you explored something new, criticism would come. I still chose to put myself at the top to inspire change and made the hits public to do the work behind the scenes,” Mickelson said, adding that he “feels sorry to the people who I have negatively influenced.”
Adding that he’s felt pressure and stress over the years, Mickelson suggested he might be taking a break from the sport, saying: “I know I haven’t done my best and I desperately need some time to prioritizing the ones I love the most and working to be the man I want to be.”
Mickelson’s longtime sponsor KPMG said in a statement on Tuesday that he would no longer be working with the golfer.
“KPMG US and Phil Mickelson have mutually agreed to end our sponsorship effective immediately. We wish him the best,” the company said.
Heineken also announced that its Amstel Light brand is ending its relationship with Mickelson.
“We have made the decision to part ways and end Amstel Light’s partnership with Phil Mickelson. We wish him well,” a Heineken USA spokesman told CNN.
When asked about Mickelson’s recent quotes and Tuesday’s statement, a PGA Tour spokesman said the organization had not commented.
CNN’s Ben Morse contributed to this report.
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