If you ever hear Rory McIlroy start a sentence with “I don’t want to kick someone while he’s down,” just know that an absolutely crushing stomp is about to occur. Phil Mickelson learned that this weekend.
Just as the top clubs in European soccer briefly flirted with the idea of a breakaway “Super League” (before getting shamed into walking back from it), Mickelson has faced heavy criticism this past week for his involvement with the proposed Super Golf League.
This potential breakaway golf league is being financed by the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — the nation’s sovereign fund and chaired by Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Now, Mickelson is well aware of the human rights atrocities committed at the hands of the Saudi government. Yet, he admitted that he was willing to overlook that for the chance to leverage the PGA Tour. He delivered this stunning quote, via ESPN:
“They killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. 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 reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
Uh … that took a turn.
Mickelson claimed to know 20 players who would be interested in the breakaway league, but come Sunday, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson were the latest to affirm their commitment to the PGA Tour. McIlroy reacted to the news by shading Mickelson into oblivion.