Golf legend Phil Mickelson laments California gas prices, praises gubernatorial candidate who supports offshore drilling
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Golf legend Phil Mickelson spoke about the price of gasoline in California, while praising California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton for his plan to produce gasoline in the state to lower prices.
Mickelson shared his thoughts in a series of social media posts on Wednesday.
In one post, the golfer shared a photo showing prices at a California gas station exceeding $5 per gallon.
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Phil Mickelson reflects on a question at a press conference on June 13, 2022 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, ahead of the US Open. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“This is sad and it’s going to get worse,” Mickelson wrote.
In a subsequent post, Mickelson shared an interview by Hilton on News Business Network’s “The Bottom Line,” where the candidate shared his support for the White House’s plan to conduct offshore oil drilling off the coast of California. Hilton said their plan and goal is to reduce gas prices to $3 per gallon.
“Finally someone who speaks common sense,” Mickelson wrote.
Earlier this year, an analysis by University of Southern California professor Michael Mische suggested that Californians could end up paying as much as $8.43 per gallon for gasoline next year as two refineries in the state plan to close.
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Phil Mickelson watches his shot from the 11th tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 24, 2021, in Cromwell, Connecticut. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
“Any disruption to the supply of foreign oil and gasoline will exacerbate California’s gasoline dilemma and drive up prices. Any disruption to shipping markets, routes, ports, operations, etc., will have a significant effect on California gasoline security and consumer prices, as well as prices in Nevada and Arizona,” Mische wrote in May.
Meanwhile, Valero Energy Corp. announced it will likely close its Benicia refinery near san francisco in April 2026, putting more than 400 jobs at risk and potentially driving up prices even further.
Hilton, a leading Republican candidate for governor in 2026, has made addressing gas prices a key promise of his campaign.
“Despite our state’s abundant oil reserves, Californians are forced by Democratic ‘climate’ policies to pay the highest gas prices in the country (now about $5.00 per gallon), surpassing even Hawaiiin the middle of the Pacific Ocean,” Hilton wrote in a News Digital op-ed in June.
“California’s sky-high gas prices are a direct result of 15 years of single-party Democratic rule. Gavin Newsom, former vice president Kamala Harris and every other prominent Democrat in the state has applauded this ‘war on fossil fuels,’ endlessly boasting about “leading the world” on climate change.”
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Meanwhile, Mickelson has been active on social media this year to raise awareness about various sociopolitical issues pushed by left-wing policies and lawmakers, while praising conservatives like President Donald Trump, the late Charlie Kirk and now Hilton.
Mickelson is a former California resident who was born in San Diego and moved to Florida to avoid paying California’s high taxes.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures such as Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.