SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. Phil Mickelson had a birthday to forget Saturday at the U.S. Open.In one of his most bizarre moments in a career full of them, Mickelson intentionally hit a moving ball on the 13th hole to prevent it from racing off the front of the green. He was docked two shots under Rule 14-5 and recorded a 10 on the hole and then defiantly stated afterward that he knew the rules and decided that hed rather take the penalty than play Ping-Pong around the severely undulating green at Shinnecock Hills.At that time, I just didnt feel like going back and forth and hitting the same shot over, he said after shooting a third-round 81, which matched his career-worst score at the U.S. Open. I took the two-shot penalty and moved on. Its my understanding of the rules. Ive had multiple times where Ive wanted to do that. I just finally did.On his 48th birthday, Mickelson was already 4 over par for the day when he found trouble on the 366-yard 13th, which has played as one of the most difficult holes at Shinnecock this week.After misfiring long with his approach, his pitch shot carried over the green, then he chipped past the flag again. When his 15-footer for bogey raced past the cup, and appeared on the verge of racing off the front of the green, Mickelson jogged to catch up with his ball, then swatted it back toward the hole.
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
No question, it was going to go down in the same spot behind the bunker, he said. I wasnt going to have a shot.His playing partner, Andrew Beef Johnston, stared at Mickelson in disbelief.I said, Thats one of the strangest things Ive ever seen, and then just started laughing, Johnston said. I think its just a moment of madness.Mickelson walked off the green with an 8, then was told by a rules official that hed be assessed a two-shot penalty for playing a moving ball. He said afterward that he was just using the rules to his advantage.
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In that situation, I was just going back and forth, he said. I would gladly take the two shots over continuing that display.But social media erupted at what was perceived as a serious breach of etiquette by Mickelson, one of the most beloved players in the game.John Bodenhamer, the USGAs senior managing director of championships and governance, said that the rules committee decided that Rule 1-2 did not apply because Phil didnt purposely deflect or stop the ball, such as stopping a ball from going out of bounds and thus spared Mickelson from disqualification.He didnt deflect it or stop it, Bodenhamer said. He played a moving ball. He made a stroke at a moving ball, which is explicitly covered under 14-5.Mickelson said that disrespecting the game wasnt his intent, that he didnt think the move would damage his reputation, and that any fans or players who were offended by his actions needed to toughen up.If somebody is offended by that, I apologize to them, but toughen up, he said, because this is not meant that way. I just wanted to get on to the next hole, and I didnt see that happening at the time. Id gladly take my two strokes and move on.Mickelson said that hes wanted to accept this penalty on other occasions in his career including some years on the 15th hole at the Masters, when his ball would run off into the creek but that with this particular hole location Saturday, I could still be out there, potentially.So was the pin on 13 fair?Everybody has to play it, he said. I was playing it worse than most, and I wanted to get to the next hole eventually, which I did.Mickelsons stunning smack was reminiscent of John Dalys outburst during the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. After the same two-shot penalty, he made an 11 on the hole and claimed afterward that his penalty was in protest against the USGA for setting so many dicey hole locations.But with the USGA on the verge of losing Shinnecock, again, because of unplayable conditions in the third round, Mickelson didnt rail against the setup. Instead, he described it as certainly a lot harder today, and added that hell continue to relish the challenge of playing the U.S. Open even if sometimes it gets a bit goofy.The incident didnt seem to dim Mickelsons enthusiasm. As he headed toward the scoring cabin, he offered wry smiles, high-fived the fans lining the barricades and gave a few thumbs-up. He remained in scoring for nearly a half hour he said he was refueling after a long day on the course before facing dozens of reporters and cameramen.When Mickelson was done explaining one of the most bizarre decisions of his legendary career, he scribbled autographs, made small talk with fans and nodded along to the music. The crowd was singing, Happy Birthday.
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