Phil Mickelson has apologised for his "reckless" comments promoting the possible Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League, while he announced he will also take a break from the sport.
A number of high-profile golf stars were reportedly targeted by organisers of a lucrative alternative to the PGA Tour, including Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau.
But most of the leading names – the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa – denounced the league, instead pledging their allegiance to the PGA Tour.
However, Mickelson was a vocal supporter of the new potential competition, claiming it could provide players with "leverage" as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to "reshape how the PGA Tour operates".
The American golfer went as far as suggesting he and several other golfers paid their lawyers to construct the proposed breakaway competition's agreement, even though he stated Saudi Arabia has "a horrible record on human rights."
Mickelson's comments prompted further backlash from McIlroy, who slated the claims, and the 51-year-old has now apologised for any offence caused by his antics.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mickelson said: "Although it doesn't look this way now given my recent comments, my actions throughout this process have always been with the best interest of golf, my peers, sponsors, and fans.
"There is the problem of off-record comments being shared out of context and without my consent, but the bigger issue is that I used words I sincerely regret that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions.
"It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words. I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this.
"Golf desperately needs change, and real change is always preceded by disruption. I have always known that criticism would come with exploring anything new.
"I still chose to put myself at the forefront of this to inspire change, taking the hits publicly to do the work behind the scenes.
"Despite my belief that some changes have already been made within the overall discourse, I know I need to be accountable.
"For the past 31 years, I have lived a very public life and I have strived to live up to my own expectations, be the role model the fans deserve, and be someone that inspires others."
Mickelson also suggested he would take a break from golf to focus on himself.
"I've worked to compete at the highest level, be available to media, represent my sponsors with integrity, engage with volunteers and sign every autograph for my incredible fans," he continued.
"I have experienced many successful and rewarding moments that I will always cherish, but I have often failed myself and others too.
"The past 10 years, I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level. I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritise the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be."
Caymanas Golf Club all set to host 36th annual Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship
The Caribbean region’s best young golfers are set to descend upon Jamaica’s Caymanas Golf Course soon to participate in the 36th staging of the Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championship.
Teams will start arriving in Jamaica on July 1 with the competition set to take place from July 3-5 with the first tee time set at 7:00 AM local time.
There will be eight competing countries and these include hosts Jamaica, defending champions Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.
Among these countries, there will be approximately 85 participants taking part in the championships split into the Boys and Girls 18 & Under, Boys & Girls 15 & Under and Boys & Girls 13 & Under categories.
The official media launch for the junior golf showcase was held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Thursday.
“The hosting of this prestigious event represents not only a celebration of golf, but it also fulfils our mandate by providing a platform for our junior golfers to hone their skills in addition to being a testament to the spirit of sportsmanship, camaraderie and youthful exuberance that thrives in our Caribbean region,” said President of the Jamaica Golf Association, Jodi Munn-Barrow, at Thursday’s launch.
Lead sponsors of the July 3-5 championships are BCIC Insurance Company Limited and their CEO, Peter Levy, expressed happiness to be a part of this competition.
“It’s an opportunity for us to reaffirm BCIC’s commitment to youth development through our title sponsorship of this prestigious event,” he said.
“BCIC has always believed in the power of sport to shape our society and we see this partnership as an investment in the dreams and aspirations of young golfers across the Caribbean,” he added.
Also on hand to give a glimpse of what to expect from the course itself was Caymanas Golf Club General Manager, Peter Lindo.
“Our picturesque little course in St. Catherine eagerly awaits the talented young golfers who will be representing their countries. Our course superintendent, Mr. Jerry Hardy, and out groundskeepers have been working meticulously preparing the course taking every measure possible to present optimal playing conditions,” he said.
“We’ve had some unusually hot dry weather up until last week and that little spell of rain has given us an even greener landscape. One of the challenges we’ve had over the years is the deterioration of our bunkers and Jamaica Aggregates Limited were very kind in donating sand which will go a very long way in the resuscitation of the bunkers,” he added.
Other main sponsors for the championship include Sandals Foundation, R&A, Fleetwood, ORCA Golf, Caribbean Golf Association, CMK Bakery and Digicel Business.
Jodi Munn-Barrow to serve second term as Jamaica Golf Association president
The first female to become president of the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) returns unopposed for her second-consecutive term of office. Jodi Munn-Barrow had no challenger for the top position of the JGA when the organization hosted its election at the Constant Golf Club recently.
“It’s a true honour to be elected as president of the Jamaica Golf Association. I look forward to working with the members of the new executive committee. The first matter of importance that we will be looking at is the hosting of the Caribbean Amateur Junior Championships in July and then we continue to focus on our Jamaica Open but grateful to have a good committee and grateful to lead this august body” said a delighted Munn-Barrow.
She was nominated by the immediate past president Peter Chin, who is an avid golfer and chairs the Jamaica Open Golf Championship committee.
Vice president Dr. Mark Newnham returned unopposed as well after being nominated by Robert Chin.
The other elected members of the committee are William Brown –Treasurer, Fred Sutherland – Honourary Secretary, Alison Reid – Junior Golf Chairperson, Rowena Coe – Ladie’s Representative, along with committee members Dave Lyn, Vikram Dhiman, Robert Chin, Teddy Alexander and Dave Cameron.
Alexander and Cameron will be serving on the JGA executive for the first time. Cameron, the former president of the West Indies Cricket Board can be seen on the golf course from time to time.
Schauffele: McIlroy put under a microscope after losses
Xander Schauffele believes Rory McIlroy is under tougher scrutiny when he loses and empathises with his need to take time off from the sport.
McIlroy came within touching distance of winning the US Open on Sunday but disappointingly fell short as Bryson DeChambeau claimed the title by a single shot in North Carolina.
The Northern Irishman bogeyed three of the last four holes in the last round at Pinehurst, including a woeful miss from a short putting distance on the 18th allowing DeChambeau to take the win.
McIlroy, a four-time major winner, has not won one of golf's top events since 2014 at the PGA Championship and announced on Sunday in a post on social media that he would be taking a few weeks away from the game following the event.
Schauffele, who was grouped with McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler for the US Open, understands why the 35-year-old has chosen to take a break.
"As a competitor, all of us have had our highs and lows to a certain degree. It's a tough spot.
"I'm sure him and his team are discussing what happened, and sometimes you just need to step away from it all and really try and be as objective as possible, because you're very much in the moment there and it obviously didn't go his way.
"He needs some time away to figure out what's going on."
The American won his first major in May, beating DeChambeau to the PGA Championship title at Valhalla, finally ending his reputation for struggling to close on final-round leads.
"It's different for everyone. It's hard for me to compare my losses to his losses," Schauffele added. "I would say his, he's under a bit more of a microscope.
"When things are going really well, people are all over him, and unfortunately, when things don't go your way, people are all over him.
"So, there's a microscope on him on why he didn't win and things of that nature, and he's going to have to answer those questions at some point, and he will, because he always does.
"I wear them pretty hard, but sometimes it's nice to just get back on the horse and compete."
McIlroy will return in time for The Open Championship in July, where he will look to end his decade-long major drought.
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