Updated at 21.56
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PHIL Mickel– oh… Oh, no.
48 today, the five-time major winner was already out of contention at the US Open when he pulled a banger of some sort on the green at Shinnecock Hills’ par-4 13th.
Having overshot a putt, Mickelson broke out into a brisk jog in pursuit of his ball, catching up to it and hitting it first-time as it rolled precariously toward the edge of the green and the abyss which lay temptingly beyond.
The weirdness wasn’t finished there, however: the Californian was initially rumoured to have withdrawn from the tournament, but was instead slapped with a two-stroke penalty which saw him accrue a sextuple bogey 10 on the 13th.
Wow. I've never seen that before.
— Cam Rogers (@MrRogers99) June 16, 2018
Phil Mickelson ran after his putt before it stopped, which is a two stroke penalty.
Really, really odd #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Hu08036qjo
The USGA have confirmed that they will not disqualify Mickelson on account of what they perceive to be his breach of Rule 14-5 (playing a moving ball – two-stroke penalty), as opposed to a breach of Rule 1-2 (purposely deflecting or stopping a ball – potential disqualification).
Representatives from the organisation have spoken to ‘Lefty’, and he has accepted his penalty.
“Look, I don’t mean disrespect to anybody. I know it’s a two-shot penalty. At that time, I just didn’t feel like going back and forth and hitting the same shot over,” Mickelson explained in relation to the incident. “I took the two-shot penalty and moved on. It’s my understanding of the rules. I’ve had multiple times where I’ve wanted to do that; I just finally did. …
“I don’t know if I would’ve been able to save the shot or whatnot, but I know it’s a two-shot penalty hitting a moving ball. I tried to hit it as close to the hole as I could to make the next one, and you know, you take the two shots and you move on.”
Says Mickelson was assessed a two stroke penalty not DQ’d because he did not “stop or deflect” a moving ball but instead “played a ball in play.” So he says 1-2 doesn’t come into effect but rule 14-5 does.
— Daniel Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) June 16, 2018
???????????????????????????????? https://t.co/iaxxqsCuqf
Yes, you read that correctly. If Mickelson had "stopped" or "deflected" the ball, he would have been disqualified. But since he merely continued to hit a moving ball, the USGA has deemed that only worthy of a two-stroke penalty.
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) June 16, 2018
Mickelson’s day had been a slog until the 13th, with five bogeys following his lone birdie at the fourth hole. He added one more bogey at the 17th and had a 17-over par total of 227.
Additional reporting by AFP
