I'm curious as to what everyone thought about Phil Mickelson's decision to putt his ball back to the hole prior to it's stopping in the 3rd round of the U.S. Open. I've been watching golf a long time and have never seen a professional golfer do this- let alone a Hall of Famer whom most rank in the top 10-15 of all-time. 

The opinions on this were all over the place. The majority of players, fans and media criticized Phil, but there were a surprising number of golf fans who supported him. Personally, I fall into the first group. What bothered me the most was his explanation after his round was over. Basically, he stated that he did this since the ball was going to go off the green and he felt he'd rather take the 2 stroke penalty and basically use this rule to his advantage. No one other than Phil will ever know what (if anything) was going through his mind when he chased after the rolling golf-ball and hit it again as it was heading off the green. However, if I had to guess then his explanation would have (and should have) gone something like this:

" First of all, let me apologize for my actions. I was just so angry and frustrated that my putting has been so bad this week and when I saw that ball gathering steam as it passed the hole I basically just snapped. Winning the U.S. Open is something I desperately want to complete the career Grand Slam and this will never happen. Yes, the greens were not fair for much of this tournament, but that does not justify my terrible sportsmanship." 

For complete disclosure, I've never been a fan of Mickelson. He is a great golfer, exciting to watch and very approachable to fans and media alike. All professional athletes must have a high amount of self-confidence to succeed at their sport. However, I've always gotten the impression from Phil that half the stuff he says is "bull-sh_t." Phil believes he is smarter than everyone else and they will believe whatever comes out of his mouth. Did he know there'd be a 2 stroke penalty for his indiscretion? No doubt he did, but his actions had nothing to do with thinking about whether the penalty would be "worth it." He was simply acting like a spoiled brat who was angry because he had blown his last chance (he's almost 50) to accomplish something few others have accomplished in the history of golf.

What are your thoughts about what Phil did on Saturday?

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