Mickelson stunt may have led to disqualification

R&A officials have hinted that, had Phil Mickelson attempted his hitting-a-moving-ball stunt at the Open, he would have been disqualified, writes Eric Nicolson.

At last month’s US Open, the fivetime major winner badly overhit a putt on the 13th green in the third round and then ran after it to hit it again while it was still rolling to prevent it travelling off the putting surface.

The American incurred a two-shot penalty for a breach of rule 14-5 although many players and ex-professionals felt he should have been disqualified under rule 33-7, which also gives a tournament committee the right to disqualify a player for a serious breach of etiquette.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said they had considered what would happen in a similar, albeit unlikely, scenario this week and suggested they would probably come to a different decision, most likely using rule 33-7.

“We understand the USGA and the referees’ decisions that were made at Shinnecock and we completely respect those decisions,” said Slumbers, who spoke to Mickelson this week on his arrival in Angus.

“In the event of a similar situation this week, clearly, the first thing is you understand the facts because you never get the same situation and there will be lots of reasons.

“But we have looked very carefully at the rules and I don’t think it was good for the game and not the right way to have played this wonderful sport.

“We would make a decision based on the facts of any incident that happened later in the week.

“There are other parts of the rule book which refer to etiquette and the powers of the committee and we’re fully aware of those clauses that are in that rule.”