Pro Golfer Scott Piercy Loses 3 Sponsors Due to Antigay Buttigieg Meme

Three major sponsors have dropped a PGA golfer after he posted an antigay meme about Pete Buttigieg, reports Golf.com.

Scott Piercy, 41, shared an image Monday to Instagram Story of Pepe the Frog -- a symbol of the alt-right -- sitting at a news desk in front of an image of the gay former presidential candidate. The offensive headline, a reference to Buttigieg ending his bid this week, read, "Peter Pulls Out Early From Behind."

The fake network referenced in the meme, QNN, refers to QAnon, a conspiracy theory that, among other far-fetched and debunked ideas, believes in the existence of the "Deep State" in the Trump administration. A running gag on social media is that the theory stands for "Queer Anon," a reference to closeted gay people.

The four-time PGA Tour victor sparked a storm of controversy on social media after posting the meme, with accusations of homophobia and racism. The backlash led to a follow-up apology on Instagram Story. "Whenever i [sic] post my intent is NEVER to offend," Piercy stated. "I want to apologize if any of my recents [sic] story posts have been offensive. I will do better!"

However, his words of remorse did not satisfy Titleist, Footjoy, and J. Lindeberg, who all pulled their endorsement deals with Piercy in response to the meme.

"As a global lifestyle brand, we strive to support and show our love and compassion for all demographics around the world," a J. Lindeberg spokesperson told Golf.com. "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. We have since terminated our contract with Mr. Piercy."

The clothing retailer added that there is "no room for hate or discrimination in our company."