Phil Mickelson: U.S. Open

Dozens of articles are online about his shocking etiquette breach, all basically saying the same thing:
https://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/mark-herrmann/us-open-phil-mickelson-1.19258651
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/16/sports/golf/phil-mickelson-ball-us-open.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/104779368/on-his-48th-birthday-us-golfer-phil-mickelson-acts-like-a-10yearold

All he had to do was say "I have no idea what I was thinking; I shouldn't have done that." Absolutely disgusting -- especially how the USGA didn't DQ him for a gross sportsmanship violation because he's one of their most popular golfers.

Counterpoint:

Who gives a fuck?

I thought it was great when John Daly did the same thing a few years ago at Pinehurst.

These guys get frustrated just like us. I think it shows humanity. Phil has already finished his round today. Enjoy the rest of the tournament.

I saw it as more of a protest about the stupid pin placements.  He was out of contention and as probably the most senior player and well respected he has the voice to pull it off.  Many players were supporting him on this.

The USGA clearly majorly f-ed up the course set set yet again yesterday.  It went from super hard to impossible and unfair.  That 2 guys who finished before the leaders teed off went from making the cut by a stroke to leading is all the proof anyone needs despite of whatever that idiot Curtis strange says.

What do you think about today, Coach? Overcorrection? Lots of birdies out there right now. Great tourney to watch.

I watched the video in the link. I know squat about golf but from what I saw it looked to me like he was doing the math in his head and saying to himself:

"I am having a crappy day and this will help me save a stroke."

Personally I love it when someone violates the unofficial rules of golf.

He played within the rules and used those rules, the same rules that applied to everyone else, to save himself a couple strokes.  Being out of contention perhaps he shouldn’t have bothered, but I don’t get the outrage.

If you stop a ball you get disqualified. If you hit or redirect a moving ball you get a two stroke penalty.  It was a pretty smart play, actually.

JTG4eva! wrote

If you stop a ball you get disqualified. If you hit or redirect a moving ball you get a two stroke penalty.

Interesting. Why is this so? The two violations seem similar.

I love to play golf but the anal rententive rules and pedantic behavior of officials make it terrible to watch at times .

Haven't watched one second of this Shinnecock shit show 😈

bumps wrote

All he had to do was say "I have no idea what I was thinking; I shouldn't have done that." Absolutely disgusting -- especially how the USGA didn't DQ him for a gross sportsmanship violation because he's one of their most popular golfers.

After reading that, I clicked through the link and was expecting something truly awful. What I saw was a hot headed golfer make a rules infraction and get penalized according to the rules. Sportsmanship is important. But if this is as bad as one of golf's most popular golfers ever gets... well, I think it is a non-issue.

It didn’t get nearly as windy today and after yesterday usga set the course up with pins not near the edges.  It seems every green was an upside down bowl.  It was fair but still tough today.  Brooks was a worthy winner.  I’d like to have seen Fleetwood make that putt at 18 to shut Johnny Miller’s pie hole forever and force a playoff.  Fleetwood is my pick for the The Open next month.

Played a fun 9 hole match with my son today on the Pristine 9.  Shot an even par 29 to win 2 and 1 giving him 8 strokes.

Z ... explain the fairness thing to me.  What ever it is it's the same for all right?

He did nothing wrong imo. He played within the rules golf, took his 2 shot penalty and moved on. He wasn't a hot head as he knew exactly what he was doing.
Great tourney! One thing I've always SSA appreciated about the US Open is a premium is set on par.

Harv the thing is it wasn’t the same for all on Saturday.  The greens dried out and the pins were on the tops of knobs.  Those playing in the morning putted on grass that had just been watered.  In the late afternoon it was like putting on glass.

It’s never happened before that two guys teeing off early Saturday morning meaning they were out of contention ended up in 1st at the end of the day.  That should never happen.

If the forecast calls for high wind you can’t cut the greens as short and need to water them more.  In the British Open it’s always windy so they set the greens up differently becuase of the wind.

He should have been DQed. He changed the outcome of his score for the tournament and it was done intentionally.  If it were not Phil I believe any other player would have been.  

You think so? I think if it was anyone other than Phil it wouldn't have been as big of a deal with the media. He was completely out of the tourney and just wanted to get the hell out of there. He certainly was frustrated and wanted to send a message to the USGA about the setup. Had he been in contention it would be another story, but he was far from being in contention.

Completely out of the tournament probably,  Finau lost 200k missing that last putt.  You cant tell what he would have made, probably better than ten but you don't know. Now he finishes a shot in front of someone and that player collects 30g less.  I am not upset he did it hell it was entertaining to watch but you effected you game so we will never know what your true score would be so you have to be DQed

And I think he was thinking he was going to be DQ'ed  

Could be, I guess.

I'm curious what pro thinks --- maybe he'll chime in if he sees this

WOW -- just read this and now my head hurts

http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2018/06/16/why-phil-mickelson-didnt-get-disqualified-us-open