Golf icon Phil Mickelson upsets fans with Charlie Kirk post

Once criticized for whitewashing Saudi Arabia's human-rights record, Phil Mickelson has seized the moral high ground on social media by attacking critics of Charlie Kirk in the aftermath of the conservative influencer's murder in Utah.

'The assassination of Charlie Kirk is bringing out some of the best in humanity and it's also exposing some of the worst,' the 55-year-old golf legend wrote on X. 'The unification, love, support, and outcry on his behalf throughout the world is heartwarming.'

Mickelson then turned his anger toward suspected shooter Tyler Robinson and those whom the LIV Golf star sees as excusing the defendant's alleged crime.

'The number of people supporting Tyler Robinson's appalling behavior has opened my eyes to a side of extremism with a moral superiority complex that has also shaken my belief in people in general,' Mickelson continued. 'I hope they are held accountable for their disgusting rhetoric.'

Mickelson spent much of Sunday re-posting examples of such rhetoric. He highlighted one teacher accused of saying the 'world is better off without' Kirk and Durham, North Carolina's police chief for criticizing Kirk's own rhetoric.

The post generated a significant online response, much of which came from those who agreed with Mickelson. Billionaire X owner Elon Musk, for one, followed by writing that Kirk's critics 'will be held accountable.'

'The world needs to see how many people actually support murdering a father of two for having open debates on college campuses,' another of Mickelson's followers responded.

Many others, however, were upset by Mickelson's attempt to celebrate Kirk – a podcaster who'd drawn criticism from the left for arguing against the 1964 civil rights act and for supporting gun rights amid widespread mass shootings.

'Hahaha, referring to Tyler as an extremist while trying to venerate Charlie is diabolical and a White thing to do,' one critic wrote on X, accusing Mickelson of having a racial bias in favor of Kirk. 

Others were upset to see Mickelson focused on rhetoric when innocent civilians are dying in war zones around the world.

'Genocide, killing and starvation of children has already exposed some of the worst in humanity 2 years now,' another critic wrote.

Several commenters accused Mickelson of hypocrisy for taking a reported $200 million to defect from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf – an upstart circuit funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

In 2022, Mickelson famously told golf writer Alan Shipnuck that LIV's Saudi backers were 'scary mother***ers' who'd killed Washington Post reporter and regime critic Jamal Kashoggi with a bone saw at a consulate in Istanbul years earlier. (Mickelson would later say the comments were taken out of context and were given off the record) 

But despite acknowledging the murder and Saudi Arabia's deplorable human rights record, Mickelson still felt good about defecting from the PGA Tour to LIV for a nine-figure payday.

Naturally, critics were happy to remind Mickelson of this.

'Sit down you took tens of millions from Saudi Arabia you sellout,' one critic told Mickelson on X.

Robinson, 22, was arrested Friday after a 33-hour manhunt following Kirk's killing during a speech at Utah Valley University.

Kirk's alleged assassin made chilling remarks about the conservative commentator during a family dinner in the lead-up to his murder, Daily Mail reported earlier on Friday. Robinson also brought up Kirk's visit to Utah Valley University on September 10 and spoke of his dislike for the 31-year-old MAGA influencer, family members told investigators.

'They talked about why they didn't like him and the viewpoints that he had,' Utah governor Spencer Cox revealed in a press conference on Saturday.

The family members also told police Robinson described Kirk as 'full of hate and spreading hate.'

Robinson's comments raised a red flag among his family - so much so that they told police about the conversation following his arrest for Kirk's murder. It was Robinson's father who ultimately turned his son into law enforcement.

The suspect now faces charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice, according to a probable cause affidavit.