Mickelson’s Masters bombshell: Rivals cheat
Phil Mickelson has raised eyebrows at Augusta on the eve of the US Masters golf tournament by accusing some of his rivals of cheating.
The three-time Masters champion said a number of players on the PGA Tour are “intentionally loose” in marking their ball.
Mickelson made the claim during his pre-tournament press conference at Augusta National after being asked his opinion on the four-shot penalty incurred by Lexi Thompson in last week’s ANA Inspiration.
Thompson was leading by three shots during the final round when she was informed by tournament officials she would be penalised for an incident which took place the previous day.
The 22-year-old was penalised two strokes for incorrectly replacing a marked ball on the 17th green and another two for signing an incorrect scorecard, after a television viewer had alerted LPGA officials to the incident via email.
“Rather than address that specific instance, what I would say is this — I know a number of guys on tour that are loose with how they mark the ball and have not been called on it,” Mickelson said.
“I mean, they will move the ball two, three inches in front of their mark and this is an intentional way to get it out of any type of impression and so forth — and I think that kind of stuff needs to stop.
“But I think it should be handled within the tour. I think that the tour should go to those players and say, ‘look, we’ve noticed you’ve been a little lax in how precise you’ve been in marking the ball. We’d like you to be a little bit better at it’ and see if that doesn’t just kind of fix the thing.”
Despite such comments, Mickelson also said Thompson, who went on to lose a playoff to Korea’s So Yeon Ryu, should be given the trophy.
“To have a tournament be decided like that, with all the scenarios going around, as far as viewers calling in, as far as it being a one-foot putt with really no advantage, just a little bit of loose marking, if you will, something that happens all the time, intentionally and unintentionally . . . I think it should be reversed,” Mickelson said. “I think that she should be given the trophy. I feel like we’ve all kind of been a little lax at times in the markings of our golf ball and I hate to see it cost somebody a major championship because of that.” Jack Nicklaus offered a suggestion that penalties shouldn’t be assessed after a round is completed. “Once the round is over, and the scorecard is signed, the day is over,” he said. Meanwhile, the word on Dustin Johnson was that he didn’t have what it takes between the ears to close out a major. He looked as though he didn’t care, perhaps because a crushing loss didn’t appear to bother him as much as it should have. And in some corners, there was chatter that he needed to get someone other than his brother to be his caddie. Now those are some of the reasons why Johnson is No 1 in the world, and why he is such a strong favourite to win the Masters. “He knows he can handle what- ever gets in his way,” said Claude Harmon III, the swing coach who spends the most time at work with Johnson. “Now players feel like if he’s on the leaderboard, they can’t afford to make a mistake.”
For all his power and athleticism, Johnson had never been in contention at Augusta National until last year. He was two shots out of the lead until a double bogey from the bunker on the 17th hole ended his hopes.
He still tied for fourth, his best finish, and it was enough for him to at least see that a green jacket was within reach.
The more he wins, the less anyone talks about the 82 he shot in the final round of the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach, the two-shot penalty he received at Whistling Straits in the 2010 PGA Championship for grounding his club in sand without realising it was a bunker or the 12ft eagle putt that turned into a three-putt par on the final hole of the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay.
“I know everybody mistakes,” Johnson said.
“But for me, I just felt like I’ve always learned from them and tried not to do them again.
“Even some of my losses in the majors, I try to take the positive out of it and learn from it and do better the next time.” makes TENNIS