The PGA Tour joined the rest of the sports world in Coronavirus limbo Thursday shortly after wrapping the first round of The Players Championship. But the story of the tournament before its cancellation was the tour veteran Scott Piercy’s outfit. It was logo-less.
Piercy’s unique look was a product of a tumultuous week that saw multiple companies end sponsorship deals with Piercy, after he shared an Instagram post using a homophobic slur to describe former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. According to Golf World, Piercy also shared a post promoting the dangerous conspiracy theory-fueled QAnon movement.
Titleist/FootJoy, J.Lindeberg and Segra announced decisions to end their association with Piercy came shortly thereafter. “These views are in direct conflict with Segra’s values of diversity and inclusion,” Segra said in a statement.
“As a global lifestyle brand, we strive to support and show our love and compassion for all demographics around the world… when we choose our ambassadors, we choose individuals we know will represent us well on and off the golf course. The claims from Scott Piercy were unacceptable and far from our views and beliefs,” read J.Lindeberg’s statement.
Going logo-less last week reportedly cost Piercy $2 million in earnings.
Piercy offered a tepid apology before the companies pulled their sponsorships and it didn’t appear that his attitude had changed after arriving at TPC Sawgrass last week. “People got the wrong idea of me,” Piercy told Golf World.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan characterized his reaction to Piercy’s social media activity as “one of significant disappointment” ahead of the tournament on Wednesday.
“That post does not convey the values that we have as a Tour, and certainly doesn’t convey our interest in making certain that golf is inclusive for all, an inclusive sport for all… that post itself is a violation of our policy,” Monahan said.
Monahan wouldn’t disclose any details regarding punishment for Piercy, per PGA Tour policy, but reiterated that the situation with Piercy is “something that we take very seriously.”
