Phil Mickelson is apologizing for comments made about a Saudi-backed attempt at launching a golf league and hinted at taking a break from competitive golf.
The six-time major champion sparked controversy Thursday when remarks he made to golf journalist Alan Shipnuck last fall were made public. His comments included skepticism over Saudi Arabia's "horrible" human rights record as well as an expletive used to describe the Saudis as "scary," according to The Washington Post. He did however express willingness to get involved in a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."
Backlash ensued, prompting Mickelson to release a statement via Twitter expressing his regret for using words that did not reflect his "true feelings or intentions."
"It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words," he wrote in his statement. "I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."
Mickelson went on to praise Saudi-backed LIV Golf Investments, which is headed up by Hall of Famer Greg Norman.
"The specific people I have worked with are visionaries and have only been supportive," Mickelson explained. "More importantly, they passionately love golf and share my drive to make the game better." He added that golf "desperately needs change, and real change is always preceded by disruption."
Mickelson, who has skipped the past four events, also indicated he will take time away from the tour.
Mickelson asserted that his comments to Shipnuck were "off [the] record" and "shared out of context." The journalist, who is writing an unauthorized biography of the golfer, pushed back, stating that Mickelson's allegations were "completely false."
Shipnuck doubled down on his claims during a Q&A with Twitter users.
"Not once in our texts or when we got on the phone did Mickelson request to go off-the-record and I never consented to it; if he had asked, I would have pushed back hard, as this was obviously material I wanted for the book," he commented. "Mickelson simply called me up and opened a vein. To claim now that the comments were off-the-record is false and duplicitous."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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