Phil Mickelson issued an apology for his decision to hit a ball that was still in motion at the US Open, a move that earned him a two-stroke penalty and was widely criticized by fans, commentators, and fellow players.
The Wednesday apology came a full four days after the incident, which occurred during a Saturday round in which Mickelson shot an 81.
Frustrated Phil Chases Wayward Putt
The episode occurred on the 13th hole. Mickelson was putting downhill, and the ball rolled well past the hole. Rather than waiting for the ball to come to a stop, Mickelson jogged after it and hit it again, preventing it from rolling off the green.
“I know this should’ve come sooner, but it’s taken me a few days to calm down,” Mickelson said in a statement sent to a small number of media members. “I’m embarrassed and disappointed by my actions. It was clearly not my finest moment and I’m sorry.”
After seeing video of the incident, many players and pundits argued that the intentional nature of Mickelson’s actions warranted his disqualification. Mickelson didn’t earn any more support after the round, when he was unapologetic.
“It’s meant to take advantage of the rules as best you can,” he told reporters after Saturday’s round. “I’ll gladly take the two shots over continuing that display.”
After discussing the situation with USGA officials about whether he should be disqualified, Mickelson decided that he should still play on Sunday. He did bounce back reasonably well, shooting a 1-under 69. Mickelson finished the tournament tied for 48th place at 16-over-par.
Protesting Course Conditions
Not everyone felt that the incident was quite as disrespectful as it was made out to be, however. Speaking at this week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut, Jordan Spieth said that he could understand Phil’s actions as well as the criticism.
“If there was a chance it was going to go back behind the bunker and he’s got to chip back or he was going to play off the green anyway … so he was potentially saving himself a shot,” Spieth told reporters on Tuesday. “So if that was the intent, then what’s the harm in that? He’s playing for the best score he can.”
Mickelson wasn’t the only player frustrated during the tournament. Even in the run-up to the US Open, several players preemptively questioned how the USGA would handle the Shinnecock Hills course, which had provided famously poor conditions in the 2004 US Open.
By Saturday, players were once again questioning how the USGA had set up the course, with some holes become nearly unplayable. Officials even admitted that the conditions had become unfair by the afternoon, when high winds made the already fast greens too difficult even for the best players in the world.
“When you have a championship that comes down to either luck or a fortuitous bounce or sheer luck, that’s not right,” Dustin Johnson told Sky Sports after shooting a 72 on Saturday. “It’s unfortunate that our nation’s tournament is already shot at a venue that they lost 14 years ago.”
