Report: Phil Mickelson dropped as host of The American Express in wake of Saudi comments

The hits keep coming for Phil Mickelson.

According to a report on Saturday from The Palm Springs Desert Sun, Mickelson will no longer serve as host of The American Express in the wake of his recent comments about the proposed Saudi golf league. The PGA Tour confirmed to The Desert Sun that Mickelson, who has hosted the event since 2020, will not return to that role in 2023. Additionally, the Mickelson Foundation reportedly will no longer be involved with the event.

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The move to oust Mickelson as host of The American Express comes on the heels of other sponsors ending their business partnerships with the six-time major winner over the past week. Callaway, Mickelson’s longtime equipment partner, announced on Friday they were “pausing” their relationship with the 51-year-old, while other sponsors including KPMG, Workday and Heineken have opted to end their deals as well.

“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,” Callaway 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 and will re-evaluate our ongoing relationship at a later date.”

Mickelson’s thoughts on the Saudi league came to light in an excerpt for a forthcoming biography by Alan Shipnuck titled Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar, published Feb. 17 on FirePitCollective.com. In the excerpt, Lefty admits to getting involved with the Saudi league in an effort to strong-arm the Tour into a more player-friendly media rights deal.

The comments made waves across the golf world, with several of the game’s biggest stars speaking out at last week’s Genesis Invitational. Shorty thereafter, Mickelson issued an apology and stated his intentions to take time away from the game.

“Although it doesn’t look this way now given my recent comments, my actions throughout this process have always been with the best interest of golf, my peers, sponsors, and fans,” Mickelson’s statement read. “There is the problem of off record comments being shared out of context and without my consent, but the bigger issue is that I used words I sincerely regret that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions.”