Golf Channel is postponing tonight’s premiere of Big Break x Good Good to Tuesday, September 1, citing a request from one of the show’s sponsors to remove its branding from the series.
Golf Galaxy, the show’s presenting sponsor, has reportedly pulled out of Big Break amid the fallout from the Good Good/Callaway controversy.
RELATED: Good Good Deletes Callaway Driver Ad After Backlash
The postponement comes as fallout from the controversy continues. Callaway CEO Chip Brewer issued his own apology Tuesday, admitting the company had approved the ad before it went up.
“Last week, Good Good Golf and Callaway posted a video to promote a co-branded driver. While the video was produced by Good Good, it was approved by Callaway prior to posting. That approval should never have happened. Mistakes were made, and we are taking the matter very seriously,” Brewer wrote in a statement posted at 1:14 a.m. ET Tuesday.
The ad showed Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoving fellow content creator and former Division I golfer Alexis Miestowski to the ground as she reached for a co-branded Callaway driver. Clark then stood over her and said, “Do not touch my new driver.” The video drew immediate backlash for its depiction of violence against women and was deleted within hours. See the full video and reactions below.
Brewer said Callaway is conducting internal and external investigations into how the ad made it through the approval process. “As we deal with the consequences of our mistake and complete our investigations, I want to make it clear that we sincerely apologize for the video. The content was inappropriate and does not reflect our values. To be clear: We are unequivocally against discrimination, domestic violence, or threatening behavior of any kind,” he wrote.
Brewer closed the statement personally. “We believe we have been a positive force for diversity and inclusion in the game of golf. This video was completely inconsistent with that. I assure you that we will learn from this and do better. Humbly, Chip Brewer, CEO, Callaway Golf.”
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp weighed in on Good Good’s handling of the controversy during a press conference at East Lake Golf Club ahead of the Tour Championship. Asked if Good Good took enough accountability, Rolapp said their initial response was disappointing.
“I think initially no,” Rolapp said. “I think what we saw was concerning, is clearly not aligned with PGA Tour values. We take it very seriously. I think their initial response was disappointing. It was a bit defensive and late.”
Rolapp said Good Good’s response has since improved. “I think the responses are getting better. I think we’ve seen some things this morning, we’ve had some conversations with them, so we’ll continue to monitor and work with them going forward. But no, we were disappointed with what we saw.”
Rolapp was also asked about the status of the Good Good Championship, the PGA Tour Fall event Good Good is set to title sponsor November 12-15 at Omni Barton Creek in Austin, Texas. “It’s a bit of a fluid situation,” he said. “We were disappointed at first. It sounds like in the last 24 hours they’ve made some progress. We’ll continue to monitor the situation, see how it develops.”
Good Good and Callaway have partnered since January 2023, a deal that includes co-branded equipment like the Quantum MAX and Quantum Triple Diamond drivers.
