Phil Mickelson RIPS RBC as bank's logo goes missing from Cameron Young attire
LIV Golf player Phil Mickelson believes the Royal Bank of Canada helped to bring Aramco into the public eye: "The hypocrisy is astounding."
Six-time major champion and LIV Golf player Phil Mickelson appeared to accuse RBC of hypocrisy after the bank's logo was absent from Cameron Young's golf attire at the Saudi International.
Eric Patterson shared two photos of Young on Twitter. One image showed him with a golf top on with the RBC logo on the left sleeve, but the other shows a different top he wore in today's first round of the Saudi International without the logo.
The Royal Bank of Canada dropped Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell from their sponsorship deals when the pair made the controversial switch to LIV Golf, which is funded by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
"As a result of the decisions made by professional golfers Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell to play the LIV Golf Invitational Series opener, RBC is terminating its sponsorship agreement with both players," the bank said back in June.
The infamous NUCLR Golf account replied to Patterson's tweet with a screenshot of a headline that concerned RBC written by the Financial Post.
RBC was part of the team that brought Aramco public and they made many $ millions on the deal. The hypocrisy is astounding
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 2, 2023
The story, written in September 2019, said that RBC, Banco Santander SA and Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group Inc. were part of a group of banks to secure book-runner roles on Aramco's initial public offering.
Aramco is a Saudi Arabian public petrol and natural gas company. It has also appeared as a sponsor in golf most prominently with the Aramco Team Series in the women's game.
This is when Mickelson interjected. He replied to NUCLR Golf's screenshot tweet with one of his own: "RBC was part of the team that brought Aramco public and they made many $ millions on the deal. The hypocrisy is astounding."
The 52-year-old has been extremely active on Twitter in the new year as the start of the second LIV Golf season draws closer. He played in all eight events in the breakaway league's inaugural season in 2022.
Scottish author Mark Eglinton said that Mickelson could become "the PGA Tour whistleblower we all needed" in a post on Thursday, referring to the Tour's alleged involvement with US Congress in 2004.
"That day will be later this year when all of it is brought to light and it won’t have to be from me," was the 45-time Tour winner's response. Mickelson has certainly increased his activity on social media after a large spell of silence.
