Phil Mickelson Admits: Whining About Taxes Was Wrong

Last week, Phil Mickelson whined about losing millions of dollars because of tax increases in California. Now the professional golfer is calling his outburst a “big mistake.”

Mickelson made his comments after new federal and state tax rates forced him out of a deal to acquire part of the San Diego Padres baseball franchise. Mickelson also claimed that new taxes could force him to leave his home state of California.

In his original statement, Phil Mickelson said:

“If you add up all the federal and you look at the disability and the unemployment and the Social Security and the state, my tax rate is 62, 63 percent … So I’ve got to make some decisions on what I’m going to do.”

Speaking about his comments, Mickelson compared his remarks to his disastrous loss at Winged Foot during the PGA Championship in 2006. Mickelson revealed:

“This reminds me a lot of Winged Foot in 2006, where I hit a drive way left off the tents. So this happened to be way right … I’ve made some dumb, dumb mistakes. And obviously, talking about this stuff was one of them.”

Mickelson hasn’t apologized for his remarks, just for making them publicy:

“I think I’m going to learn my lesson and take a wedge and get it back in play … I made a big mistake talking about this stuff publicly, and I shouldn’t have done that.”

When specifically asked if he would leave San Diego because of tax increases, Phil Mickelson avoided the question but did admit that he has never had a problem paying his “fair share” of taxes.

[Image via L.E.MORMILE / Shutterstock.com]