At the 2018 US Open, Phil Mickelson shocked both his supporters and his rivals by choosing to play a moving ball. His response only fueled the flames.
Throughout his incredible career, Phil Mickelson has failed to achieve glory at the US Open. Rather, he’s become associated with near-misses and one especially strange incident at his national open.
Having finished second in the US Open six times, Mickelson’s chances of completing the career grand slam are dwindling as the 53-year-old has gone three years without winning a match. Regretfully, Lefty’s most memorable US Open experiences are his heartbreaks and his contentious decision at Shinnecock Hills in 2018.
When Mickelson reached the par-four 13th hole at 10-over for the week on the back nine of his third round, he was well out of the running. After yet another poorly played hole, he found himself with a treacherous 18-foot putt for bogey. He misjudged the pace of the ball, which soared past the cup and toward a run-off area.
The six-time major champion, however, did an incredible thing. He chased after his ball, hit it again before it stopped moving, and tapped it back past the hole to remain on the putting surface. Though he had twisted the rules to his advantage, Mickelson had not cheated.
Mickelson would have had a dangerous chip if his ball had rolled off the green. To avoid the challenge of chipping back onto a green that was turning green faster than light, he made the deliberate choice to accept a two-shot penalty for striking a moving ball.
In the end, Mickelson did not benefit greatly from the choice. He ended the day with a card of 81 and left with a 10. Additionally, he received a lot of backlash for his behavior, with some even saying he ought to have been disqualified.
According to him, “it was going to go down into the same spot, behind the bunker.” “I refused to take a shot. I’m not sure if I could have stopped the shot or not, but I am aware that hitting a moving ball results in a two-shot penalty. You take the two shots and move on, and I tried to hit it as close to the hole as I could to make the next one.
“I don’t intend to offend anyone. I understand that there are two shots. I simply didn’t feel like hitting the same shot over and over at that point. After accepting the two-shot penalty, I carried on. That’s how I interpret the regulations. I just went ahead and did it after wanting to do it several times.
Under Rule 33-7, the United States Golf Association (USGA), which oversees the US Open, has the authority to disqualify Mickelson. Former USGA CEO David Fay acknowledged to Golf Digest that he would have eliminated Phil Mickelson from the competition, but Mickelson only received a two-shot penalty and ended up tied for 48th.
One of Mickelson’s final opportunities to add the coveted US Open Championship Trophy to his collection is this week at Pinehurst No. 2, where he is one of ten players from LIV Golf competing.
