I WISH I COULD TAKE IT BACK...
Mickelson pleads forgiveness for US Open farce
IT was a masterclass in mea culpa. A performance of aw-shucks sincerity laced with selfdeprecating humour; the chief speech writer for a head of state could hardly have improved upon both content and tone of a delayed plea for understanding.
There will always be a feeling that the American’s sponsors may have provided the decisive nudge towards Mickelson’s belated apology and acceptance of guilt for his shenanigans at Shinnecock Hills in last month’s US Open.
But say this for Funtime Phil. When asked to perform, he absolutely delivers.
‘Before we start, I’m not going to answer any questions about …’ he began yesterday, pausing for effect and then adding: ‘my opening round today.
‘But I’m more than happy to talk about what happened at the US Open a month ago.’
As ice breakers go, that took some beating. Which, coincidentally and entirely deservedly, is what has happened to Mickelson since he decided to play a moving ball on the green — and then show a complete lack of class when first asked to explain himself.
Admitting that he’d made a ‘big mistake’ during his third round, Mickelson was equally contrite about his post-play advice to critics to ‘toughen up’ if they found his actions offensive.
‘I made a big mistake and, you know, I wish I could take it back,’ he said.
‘But I can’t. Yeah, it wasn’t a great moment and I wish I could take it back, but there’s not much I can do about it now other than just try to act a little better.
‘I haven’t been my best. So I’m working at trying to fix that.
‘Not only was I not great on the course, I was not great after the round, either,’ added the multiple major winner after a level-par 70 in the first round of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at Gullane yesterday.
‘So it was just not a great day, and it was my birthday. So I tend to do dumb stuff on my birthday, too.’
Given the Scottish galleries’ reputation for being some of the most knowledgeable golf fans around, Mickelson’s decision to come clean yesterday could be seen as a pre-emptive strike against ill will not just over the coming days but at Carnoustie next week.
Asked if he had been worried about needing to win over a public who had always embraced him so warmly, he said: ‘I don’t know.
‘But the thing about this is throughout my career, 25 years, there have been a lot of times where I have had to be accountable for decisions I did not make.
‘And the reason why this has actually been easier, it was my own fault. Like this was my own fault.
‘So the articles and the things that — what is the word I’m looking for, the backlash? — the backlash is my own fault.
‘So it’s much easier to deal with than some of the times where I have not been involved in the decisions and had to deal with that.
‘You know, you have to be accountable for yourself.
‘When I came here, when I was over at Carnoustie, people were great. I wasn’t nervous. I didn’t know that I should be.
‘I think most people realise, you know, we all make mistakes and that was certainly one of them.’
Admitting that the incident ‘could be’ the thing that tarnishes his standing in the game, Mickelson added: ‘I mean, if you want to focus on the worst moment in a 25-year career…
‘There have been, you know, four or five really bad moments and it’s easy to focus on those. But it wasn’t the greatest decision.
‘At the time, and it took me days, I was pretty angry. The way I show anger is not the traditionally accepted way of, you know, throwing clubs and berating the fans and marshals.
‘I tend to be a little more passive aggressive in my actions, and that was kind of what I was doing.’
Asked if he’d been specifically angry at the USGA for their set-up of the course, Mickelson added: ‘There was just a bunch of stuff. But I had to let that go. Took me a few days to kind of let it go.’
If you can find many Scottish golf fans who think Mickelson
didn’t cheat by stopping his ball from rolling off the green, you’ll be doing very well.
Trying to dismiss it as brain freeze ignores the fact that the man himself admitted he had thought about doing the same thing several times before — yet always held himself back.
‘It’s not been my best month, okay,’ he said yesterday.
‘I haven’t been my best. So I’m working at trying to fix that.
‘I do a lot of dumb stuff, right? I remember, you know, I had that rules deal at Greenbrier last week, right? (Mickelson was given a two-shot penalty for improving his line of play).
‘Well, last year at Greenbrier, I picked up my ball in the middle of the fairway, marked it and cleaned it.
‘I have these like just moments where I’m like in a cloud, if you will.
‘I’m not really sure what I’m doing or I’m just kind of going through the motions and not really aware at the moment.
‘And I’ve done that a bunch in my career.
‘I’ve picked up the ball and marked it and cleaned it, probably four or five times after the first couple days was lift, clean and place — and I kept doing it.
‘I keep doing stuff like that. That’s the way my mind works.
‘Like I said, I have mental lapses — it’s been throughout my whole life.
‘It’s not like it’s new. That was just one of the worst ones.’
Signing off with some kind words about Carnoustie and praise for the Scottish fans, Mickelson departed to sign umpteen autographs for the children waiting patiently for his time.
What is it the great actors say? Sincerity is the key. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made?