American golfer Justin Thomas will no longer have Ralph Lauren as a sponsor after the apparel company on Friday decided to cut ties with the 13-time PGA Tour winner over his use of a homophobic slur.
Thomas apologised for the incident, which occurred at a PGA Tour tournament in Hawaii last Saturday. "There's no excuse," Thomas told the Golf Channel in an on-air apology immediately after his round.
In a statement, the company said they are discontinuing its sponsorship of Thomas.
"We are disheartened by Thomas's recent language, which is entirely inconsistent with our values. While we acknowledge that he has apologised and recognises the severity of his words, he is a paid ambassador of our brand and his actions conflict with the inclusive culture that we strive to uphold," a statement from the corporation said.
Thomas uttered the slur after he missed a par putt during the Sentry Tournament of Champions' third round in Hawaii and his words were caught by television microphones, CNN reported.
The company added that they hope the world number three "does the hard and necessary work" to regain the sponsorship.
"As we make this decision, our hope is that Thomas does the hard and necessary work in order to partner with us again -- truly examining this incident, learning, growing and ultimately using his platform to promote inclusion," the statement added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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