Phil Mickelson is still without a sponsor
US golfer Phil Mickelson is widely regarded as one of the best golfers of all time. Along with three Masters wins in his kitty, he has, in total, won six major titles and 45 PGA Tour event victories. In 2021, Mickelson became the oldest PGA champion at the age of 50 years, 11 months and 7 days.
In 2022, he took the golfing world by storm after he announced that he was defecting from the PGA Tour to join the controversial LIV Golf series. In fact, he was the most expensive player to sign with the Saudi-backed league with a whopping $200 million pay cheque.
Soon, biographer Alan Shipnuck, who had been writing an unauthorized biography of Mickelson, revealed some controversial statements that the golfer had made with regards to the alleged human rights violations in Saudi Arabia.
Although Mickelson claimed the statements were taken out of context, the damage was already done. The revelations caused a public uproar. This resulted in some of his major sponsors such as KPMG, Callaway, Heineken, Amstel Light and Workday ending their association with Mickelson.
A KPMG spokesperson said in a statement:
"KPMG US and Phil Mickelson have mutually agreed to end our sponsorship effective immediately. We wish him the best. KPMG continues to sponsor brand ambassadors on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour and is the title sponsor of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major on the LPGA Tour."
Unlike fellow competitors, Mickelson made his LIV Golf debut without a sponsor. He donned a hat representing 'For Wellness', his own brand which sells coffee products and golf accessories, and a polo with a Masters patch. It is unclear if he has signed deals with new sponsors yet.
Despite lack of sponsors Phil Mickelson is still one of the richest golfers of 2022
US golfer Phil Mickelson may have lost out on a hoard of big sponsors but he has certainly climbed the ladder of the top ten richest golfers of 2022.
The LIV golf series is known for splurging on its players with hefty signing amounts and huge cash prizes. Mickelson was the most expensive player to join the league and was offered $200 million. His salary is approximately $50 million per year.
With such huge monetary advances this year, he was propelled to the second spot among the richest golfers in the world. His net worth is estimated to be $400 million this year. The lack of sponsors hasn't seemed to affect his finances much in 2022.
Phil Mickelson is only second to Tiger Woods, who has a whopping net worth of $800 million.