Mickelson’s shenanigans on No. 13 get sextuple-bogey 10
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — The treacherous golf course that took down so many of his big-name brethren in the golf world earlier this week finally made birthday boy Phil Mickelson lose his mind, too, and in more ways than one.
The only thing more unexpected or shocking than watching Lefty running after a wayward putt and hitting the ball while it was still moving at Shinnecock Hills on Saturday — like we’ve all seen our 6-year-old kids do on the windmill hole at the local miniature golf course — was Mickelson’s insulting explanation afterward that he knowingly, intentionally and blatantly breached the rules of the game while already out of contention in the third round of the U.S. Open.
“I didn’t mean it in any disrespect,” Mickelson offered more than once about an hour after his round had concluded, after huddling with USGA officials. “If that’s the way people took it, I apologize to them.”
Mickelson hardly was sorry, however, since he admitted to breaking the rules on purpose and actually said at one point that he “meant to take advantage” of them to gain an edge, which is a rare terrible look for an immensely respected player who always has held himself above any impropriety throughout an illustrious career during which he has won five major championships and gained widespread popularity.
Phil’s 48th birthday bash already wasn’t going particularly well — aside from being serenaded with “Happy Birthday” by droves of fans at practically every tee and green — when he allowed his frustrations with his ragged play this week to boil over on the back nine. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty for striking a moving ball with his putter on the 13th green after his bogey attempt ran past the cup and headed for a downward slope that likely would have carried it into the rough or worse. Mickelson scurried past the hole and around the ball, knocking it back toward the cup with his putter before it came to a stop. With the penalty, he carded a sextuple-bogey 10 on the par-4 hole, pushing him to 10-over for the day before finishing at plus-11 and 17-over through three rounds.
“I don’t mean disrespect on anybody. I know it’s a twoshot penalty,” he said, adding he considered doing that a few years ago at the Masters. “I didn’t feel like going back and forth and hitting the same shot again, so I took the two-shot penalty and moved on. It’s my understanding of the rules. I’ve had multiple times where I’ve wanted to do that, and I just finally did. ... I’d still be out there potentially.”
Mickelson, who still needs a U.S. Open title to complete the career Grand Slam, was not disqualified for Sunday by the USGA, although there clearly would have been grounds to do so depending on which rule the tournament committee deemed he violated.
Rule 14-5 states you may not hit a moving ball, and that is the one the USGA chose to invoke, but either Rule 33-7 (if a player is guilty of a serious breach of etiquette) or Rule 1-2 (stopping the ball to prevent it from heading out of bounds or into a hazard) would be grounds for a DQ.
It should be noted that John Daly infamously had struck a moving ball at the No. 8 hole at Pinehurst during the 1999 U.S. Open, but he also wasn’t disqualified.
But former PGA champion Steve Elkington tweeted that the USGA should have done just that with Mickelson.
“Absolutely 100% conduct unbecoming ... He’s trying to embarrass the @USGA. DQ his ass,” the 55-year-old Elkington tweeted. “Phil just snapped ... Not sure what’s more stunning!! Phil running down a putt & hitting it while it’s moving or giving the thumbs up & a s--t eating grin on the next hole ...WTF was that?”
Mickelson wasn’t about to apologize to Elkington or anyone else who had a problem with his intentions, nor did he believe such a breach of etiquette would damage his reputation as one of the most respected players.
“I don’t see how, and if somebody’s offended by that, I apologize to them, but, you know, toughen up,” Mickelson said. “Because this is not meant that way. It’s just simply that I wanted to get to the next hole.”