ORLANDO, Fla. – Less than two weeks removed from calling Phil Mickelson’s comments regarding the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed super league “naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant,” Rory McIlroy took a softer approach to the left-hander’s current plight.
The fallout from Mickelson’s comments, which were published on the Fire Pit Collective website, has been wide and swift. Major sponsors KPMG and Workday announced they were ending their relationships with Mickelson and Callaway Golf is taking a “pause” in their relationship with the 51-year-old. On Wednesday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy was asked if he was surprised by how quickly sponsors and some fans turned on Mickelson.