If you follow golf, you surely saw Phil MIckelson’s antics on the 13th green at Shinnecock during the US Open. For those who did not…:
A remarkable sequence on Hole 13, where Phil Mickelson was assessed a two-stroke penalty for hitting a moving ball and ended up making a 10 on the hole. pic.twitter.com/kx6ieYiOGR
— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 16, 2018
There’s been a ton of opinions flying around the interwebs about this, so I figured I’d weigh in here. Look, we’ve all probably done this at one time or another. You’re just simply putting like shit, and in frustration you smack the ball while it’s still rolling. For me, it’s usually after a missed three footer for double, and I smack the ball into a nearby lake. Here’s the thing though: Phil did this in a US FREAKING OPEN.
Now, it’s hard to gauge the play here. Had the ball rolled off of the front and down the hill, did Phil think it’d take him more than the two stroke penalty he might incur to finish out? Or was he simply just fed up with the ridiculous greens at Shinnecock? We may never know.
Phil has repeatedly apologized for his antics, even stating he offered to withdraw from the tournament. Should he have? Some Tour pros even think he should have, and quite frankly, I agree. It’s a childish move on the pro stage, no less the US Open. You’re paid big bucks to be a professional in these situations, handle yourself as such. It’s much different if you or me do it at the local muni versus this.
I think this is also getting more attention because Phil is Phil. He’s seen as Mr. Nice Guy out there. He’s the calm, cool, collected family man throughout his career next to Tiger. He’s the man who “loves his fans” and is a great ambassador to the game. Quite personally, I think it’s a facade and he’s more like this guy on the right:
Look, we’ve seen Rory and Daly chuck clubs into the water, Tiger drop F-Bombs on live TV, and Jason Dufner give his (ex)wife (#RIPIP Amanda Dufner’s Instagram) a nice little tap on the rear end. This, however, is different. This is directly impacting your score, and a deliberate and intentional violation of the rules of golf. Shame on you Phil. I will say though, we do at least understand your frustration. Saturday at Shinnecock was just a mess…
