Phil Mickelson DUMPED as tournament host of PGA Tour event
Phil Mickelson booted out as tournament host of The American Express on the PGA Tour following his controversial remarks.
Phil Mickelson has been dumped as the tournament host of The American Express, according to the PGA Tour.
Mickelson, 51, will no longer serve as tournament host for the annual January stop on the circuit as a result of his controversial remarks about the PGA Tour and a new Saudi Golf League made to golf biographer Alan Shipnuck.
Golf's oldest major champion had served as tournament host of The American Express in California's Coachella Valley for the past three seasons.
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The PGA Tour has also confirmed the Mickelson Foundation charity will no longer be part of the tournament.
Mickelson has played a key role in the tournament down the years, making 19 appearances and winning it twice in 2002 and 2004 when it was known as the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
He made his first appearance in the event back in 1993.
Hudson Swafford won the tournament earlier this year by two shots over Tom Hoge.
The tournament is played on a three-course rota of PGA West Stadium Course, Nicklaus Tournament Course and La Quinta Country Club.
Mickelson has come under fire this week after an excerpt of his conversation with golf writer Shipnuck emerged justifying his relationship with the Saudi government and revealing how he was using Saudi money to back a new super golf league as a means of leverage against the PGA Tour.
Here's what Mickelson told Shipnuck back in November, with the words being made public this month:
"They're scary motherf***ers to get involved with," Mickelson allegedly said.
"We know 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.
"They've been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse.
"As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won't do what's right.
"And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I'm not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour."
Mickelson has since apologised, albeit not to the PGA Tour, and he has now lost a number of his main sponsorships as a result of his comments.
The six-time major champion will take an indefinite break from the game in a bid to improve himself as a person, and it remains unknown as to whether Mickelson will tee up at The Masters in April.
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