Phil bunkered

Golf has a rule book which is the most unread literary item apart from A Brief History of Time. So Phil Mickelson’s hockey demo in the US Open has led to it being dipped into by more golfers than at any other time in its history. The USGA decided he breached Rule 14-5 and gave a 2 stroke penalty for “hitting a moving ball”. The poorly-written rule appears to supersede Rule 1-2 (disqualification for “deflecting the moving ball with his club”) and Rule 33-7 (disqualification for “a serious breach of etiquette”).

As Dickens wrote: “If that’s the law, the law’s an ass!” (REV DR) JOHN CAMERON

Howard Place, St Andrews