Is Phil Mickelson Going Nuts?: Hitting a moving ball at US Open

[gregsandiego]

This chasing the putt move is what I've done when I've pretty much given up on keeping score....

 

 

[Patch]

I guess he kind of wanted to copy John Daly. 

[fishgolf]

I have uncovered the mystery. None of you apparently heard Beef say "it's good".

[JSGolf]

Phil and Beef were laughing about it while signing their cards.....Golf Channel just showed it.

https://www.golfchannel.com/article/golf-central-blog/mickelson-us-open-controversy-toughen/?cid=facebook-gc-a-mickelson-us-open-controversy-toughen-06162018

[iacas]

10 minutes ago, JSGolf said:

Phil and Beef were laughing about it while signing their cards.....Golf Channel just showed it.

https://www.golfchannel.com/article/golf-central-blog/mickelson-us-open-controversy-toughen/?cid=facebook-gc-a-mickelson-us-open-controversy-toughen-06162018

Mickelson said that disrespecting the game wasn’t his intent, that he didn’t think the move would damage his reputation, and that any fans or players who were offended by his actions needed to “toughen up.”

Uhhhhh, I'll "toughen up." Phil, you're permanently on my shit list. And to think… I'd warmed to him quite a bit.

[Buckeyebowman]

I think you're right, greg. I think that was Mickelson's way of saying, "I'm done!" And let's not forget that Mike Davis, head honcho of the USGA, admitted that the course may have gotten away from them in the afternoon. And he agreed with Azinger's assessment that some of the  pin positions may have been cut too close to some extreme slopes!

[ChrisP]

I would have understood it more if he admitted “Listen I snapped. I wanted to win this tournament so so badly and I let my frustration get the best of me. I apologize.” I would have been very okay with that. Instead he joked it off and made it out to be like it wasn’t that big a deal and nobody should care. I definitely lost respect for him.

Edited June 17, 2018 by ChrisP

[iacas]

Someone said it at the course today… (I got home at 7:30 tonight)… "Imagine if Tiger had done that."

But because it's Phil, people don't care as much.

[HJJ003]

3 minutes ago, ChrisP said:

I would have understood it more if he admitted “Listen I snapped. I wanted to win this tournament so so badly and I let my frustration get the best of me. I apologize.” I would have been very okay with that. Instead he joked it off and made it out to be like it wasn’t that big a deal and nobody should care. I definitely lost respect for him.

Yeah that’s what bothers me too. I like Phil a lot, but that part of this really bothers me. 

[JSGolf]

14 minutes ago, ChrisP said:

I would have understood it more if he admitted “Listen I snapped. I wanted to win this tournament so so badly and I let my frustration get the best of me. I apologize.” I would have been very okay with that. Instead he joked it off and made it out to be like it wasn’t that big a deal and nobody should care. I definitely lost respect for him.

Exactly!  I've never cared for Phil so any respect I had for him went out the door with what he did and his statement about people toughening it up. How about him toughening it up and actually completing the hole like everyone else? I am glad some of the male and female pro golfers are dogging him on social media.

Edited June 17, 2018 by JSGolf

[fishgolf]

All this said, at only +17, he could still play out of his mind (again) tomorrow and finish in the top 10. 

[ScouseJohnny]

Quote

"Imagine if Tiger had done that."

But he wouldn't. Ever.

Quote

But because it's Phil, people don't care as much.

Precisely. Because it's Phil. That's the point.

And his response was always going to be the Phil Flintstone Show, not humility, shame, or embarrassment.

Edited June 17, 2018 by ScouseJohnny

[Missouri Swede]

Pretty poor explanation Phil gave--basically saying that he knew it would roll off the green and so he hit it while in motion, knowing it would give him a 2-stroke penalty.  Meanwhile, one of the announcers is saying how Phil is so good with numbers.

But if Phil had taken stroke-and-distance to replay the putt (as @iacas mentioned in the other thread), it would have been only 1 stroke.  I might not be the math genius they think Phil is, but seems to me that one stroke penalty is better than two.

And without all of the fallout.

Edited June 17, 2018 by Missouri Swede

[iacas]

The Rules of Golf look bad here.

I understand that they're trying to apply 14-5, but what I don't get is that he deflected the ball… but it just happened to be toward the hole.

Mike Davis said that he made a stroke, he didn't "deflect the ball in some other direction." But what about John Daly? Was that also a stroke even though it in no way was going to go in?

What's a "deflection" instead of a "stroke" if you swipe at it? Can anyone just avoid DQing under 1-2 if they can claim to have simply made a stroke?

I don't think you go to 14-5 right away. I think you look at RULE 1 - THE GAME first.

[boogielicious]

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

The Rules of Golf look bad here.

I understand that they're trying to apply 14-5, but what I don't get is that he deflected the ball… but it just happened to be toward the hole.

Mike Davis said that he made a stroke, he didn't "deflect the ball in some other direction." But what about John Daly? Was that also a stroke even though it in no way was going to go in?

What's a "deflection" instead of a "stroke" if you swipe at it? Can anyone just avoid DQing under 1-2 if they can claim to have simply made a stroke?

I don't think you go to 14-5 right away. I think you look at RULE 1 - THE GAME first.

Agree. I am so disappointed in Michelson. He’s made a sham of the rules. He should not start tomorrow.  

[iacas]

3 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Agree. I am so disappointed in Michelson. He’s made a sham of the rules. He should not start tomorrow.  

He called Mike Davis and asked if he should have been DQed and/or WD himself.

Mike Davis re-iterated the 14-5 thing.

I'm no longer and never will again be a Phil Mickelson fan. And I'm plenty "tough."

[FlappyGilmore]

If the rule is so vague that USGA officials don't think it requires a DQing, maybe the rule needs to be changed or a rule added stating, "If a player makes contact with a golf ball in motion in an attempt to better the lie, he shall be DQed." or "The golfer may not touch a ball that has been putted until it is at rest."

 

The game has existed for how long? It shouldn't be hard to put those rules on the books.

[Missouri Swede]

17 minutes ago, iacas said:

He called Mike Davis and asked if he should have been DQed and/or WD himself.

Mike Davis re-iterated the 14-5 thing.

I'm no longer and never will again be a Phil Mickelson fan. And I'm plenty "tough."

#seriousbreach

7 minutes ago, FlappyGilmore said:

If the rule is so vague that USGA officials don't think it requires a DQing, maybe the rule needs to be changed or a rule added stating, "If a player makes contact with a golf ball in motion in an attempt to better the lie, he shall be DQed." or "The golfer may not touch a ball that has been putted until it is at rest."

 

The game has existed for how long? It shouldn't be hard to put those rules on the books.

@FlappyGilmore, it's there:

Quote

EXERTING INFLUENCE ON MOVEMENT OF BALL OR ALTERING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS

1-2/0.5 

Serious Breach of Rule 1-2

Q.Should the standard for determining whether a serious breach of Rule 1-2 has occurred be the same in match play and stroke play?

A.In deciding whether a player has committed a serious breach of Rule 1-2, the Committee should consider all aspects of the incident. Given the different impact on players in match play and stroke play, it is possible for the same act to constitute a serious breach of Rule 1-2 in stroke play but not in match play. In many cases in match play (e.g., a player who intentionally stops his ball from entering a water hazard), a penalty of loss of hole is sufficient while in stroke play the player should be disqualified for a serious breach. In some cases (e.g., the purposeful act of damaging the line of putt referred to in Decision 1-2/1), a penalty of disqualification in match play may be appropriate.

#seriousbreach