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Lee Westwood’s lengthy standing partnership with UPS is completed.
The previous top-ranked golfer on the planet was reportedly requested by UPS to take away its emblem from his shirt and bag after a 14-year partnership — one thing that comes amid Westwood’s involvement with the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational sequence.
“We worth the connection we’ve had however make selections based mostly on what’s greatest for our enterprise,” a UPS spokeswoman mentioned in an announcement to Sports activities Illustrated. “We are going to proceed to give attention to sponsorship initiatives which can be vital for UPS and in step with our enterprise priorities.
“The choice to finish our partnership is a strategic enterprise resolution that permits us to give attention to different initiatives. We preserve different sponsorships throughout different sports activities in addition to cultural, philanthropic and sustainability-led initiatives to assist our model and meet the wants of our enterprise.”
Westwood was not sporting the UPS emblem within the first spherical of the PGA Championship, although he did have it on throughout observe rounds at Southern Hills earlier within the week.
The 49-year-old shot a 5-over 75 on Thursday on the PGA Championship, and made three straight bogeys to shut his day. Early chief Rory McIlroy posted a 5-under 65.
Westwood has two PGA Tour wins in his profession, most just lately on the 2010 St. Jude Traditional. He’s gained 42 instances internationally, together with on the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on the DP World Tour, and entered the second main of the 12 months ranked No. 71 on the planet.
Westwood is one of some golfers who’ve publicly admitted to asking the PGA Tour for a launch to compete within the Saudi-backed golf enterprise’s first occasion subsequent month in London. The tour denied these requests, which means any golfer would face potential self-discipline in the event that they take part. Commissioner Jay Monahan has threatened gamers with the lack of their tour card, doubtlessly completely.
Many on tour have distanced themselves from the Greg Norman-run league, although Westwood was joined by Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson as notable gamers who wished to take part. Rickie Fowler has mentioned he hasn’t determined a technique or one other too.
Mickelson, after all, hasn’t performed golf since he apologized for his feedback about Saudi Arabia earlier this 12 months, the place he referred to as them “scary motherf***ers.” Norman made comparable feedback earlier this month when he downplayed the killing of former Washington Put up journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He additionally mentioned he was prepared to miss Saudi Arabia’s latest mass execution of 81 people.
“I obtained a number of messages however fairly truthfully I look ahead,” Norman mentioned. “I don’t look again. I don’t look into the politics of issues. I’m not going to get into the quagmire of no matter else occurs in another person’s world. I heard about it and simply saved transferring on.”
Although UPS didn’t particularly cite the Saudi league when chopping ties with Westwood, the golfer has made it clear that he’s tremendous with taking part in on a tour run by the nation.
“There’s a Components 1 race there, Newcastle is partly owned by folks from Saudi Arabia. There’s been fights there, I feel there’s been snooker and darts there.” he mentioned earlier this month, via Sky Sports. “Golf isn’t the primary sport to be performed in Saudi Arabia however it appears to have come beneath extra scrutiny. Whether or not you assume that’s proper or not is the person’s opinion.”
UPS, nevertheless, is outwardly not on that very same web page.
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