Phil Mickelson Removed As American Express Tournament Host

After Phil Mickelson's controversial comments about the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia, a number of sponsors have withdrawn their support of the six-time Major champion, with KPMG, Amstel Light and Workday all recently parting ways with Lefty.

Now, it has been announced that the 51-year-old will no longer serve as host of The American Express event in La Quinta, California, with the PGA Tour stating to The Desert Sun that, in addition to Mickelson not returning as host in January 2023, the Mickelson Foundation will also no longer be part of the event either.

The announcement comes less than a day after Callaway agreed to 'pause' their relationship with Mickelson, with the company stating that: “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.

"Phil has since apologized and we know he regrets how he handled recent events. We recognize his desire to take some 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.”

Although Callaway have not dropped the six-time Major champion, the same can't be said for some of Mickelson's other sponsors, with KPMG, Amstel Light and Workday all dropping their ties with the American.

The fallout follows Mickelson's controversial comments made to journalist, and author of Mickelson's new biography, Alan Shipnuck, with the six-time Major champion delivering a statement on Tuesday apologising for his actions. 

Although he has apologised, it seems that players are not showing much sympathy for the 51-year-old, with the likes of Rory McIlroy calling his comments: "Naive, selfish, egotistical and ignorant," whilst Billy Horschel told the Golf Channel podcast that the actions of Mickelson were: “A little bit idiotic to tell you the truth."