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Phil Mickelson

#1

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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#2

From all of the tweets and media discussion on what he did/said, this definitely appears to be a pretty divisive topic. A lot of what I've read seems to be people who were disgusted about how FOX handled it, with the different commentators calling him a disgrace and an [BLEEP].

I definitely think what he did was pretty pathetic and childish for a professional. I've seen 6 year-olds on a putt-putt course display more integrity and composure. His explanation of the whole thing was even worse, basically saying people need to toughen up if it bothered them.

I've been trying to come up with a different sport equivalent to what he did but it is hard to think of something that is not only cheating but also the complete opposite of what the sport is about.
Taking it to the top of the Modis building.  
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#3

He played by the rules. If you don't like the rule then petition to have it changed.
“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

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#4

I don't take much issue with it, but the way he explained it certainly paints him in a negative light.

He attempted to manipulate a rule in an unsportsmanlike fashion. In many sports, such an action is commonplace. Golf is not one of those sports. He'll lose some respect from this thing - but he'll be fine.

How poorly he's been playing of late is the real story here. He's had massive blow-up rounds in three recent tournaments.
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#5

I don’t think Phil Mickelson cares what anyone thinks. He’s approaching 50, arthritic, and rolling in dough. Perhaps Bones Mackay saw the writing on the wall.
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#6

I think he knew exactly what he was doing, he knew what the penalty would be and, at that point, elected to incur it.
Season Ticket holder since 2004. Smile

 

        
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#7
(This post was last modified: 06-19-2018, 10:38 AM by StroudCrowd1.)

There is nothing wrong with using the rules of golf to your advantage. Were people this upset when Tiger had a 2000 pound rock moved as a "loose impediment"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4lVCF8c5zk
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#8

(06-19-2018, 12:01 AM)NYC4jags Wrote: I don't take much issue with it, but the way he explained it certainly paints him in a negative light.

He attempted to manipulate a rule in an unsportsmanlike fashion.  In many sports, such an action is commonplace.  Golf is not one of those sports. He'll lose some respect from this thing - but he'll be fine.

How poorly he's been playing of late is the real story here. He's had massive blow-up rounds in three recent tournaments.

I agree totally that his response to his actions was much worse than the action itself. Your comment of his recent play definitely factors in to what he did. He was driving the ball really well in this tournament and, if not for his putting, could have been right near the top of the leaderboard. The realization that he will never win the elusive 4th leg of the career grandslam must really bother him and the combination of that plus seeing his ball heading off the green caused him to something really stupid. Phil has always done things his way such as hitting drivers on difficult holes while leading majors with just a few holes to go or going for it rather than punching out from the woods in similar situations. Those actions, while not being smart, are one of the reasons he is so popular with golf fans. What he did on Sunday cannot be compared to his sometimes reckless style of play. I really believe he already regrets what he did, but will unlikely say this since that would go against his belief that he is always "the smartest guy in the room."
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#9

Poor sport.
[Image: IMG-1452.jpg]
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#10
(This post was last modified: 06-19-2018, 12:19 PM by KingIngram052787.)

I think he was doing it to give the middle finger to the USGA, while I think it was in poor taste I think the USGA did ruin Saturday. I wish they would let the PGA Tour run the US Open since it's such an important event. The USGA are amateurs that don't have the capability to properly run major events. The last few years they've had several debacles between the courses, handling rulings (such as the way they handled Dustin Johnson's penalty strokes the year he won), etc. Every year it's something.

So, again, what I think Phil did was in poor taste, I also can't defend the USGA. Also, he was so far out of the tournament it didn't really matter anyways, so, I think it's being blown a little overboard. Lastly, Phil has done enough good on and off of the course that one little blemish shouldn't impact his legacy.

Just my $.02.
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#11
(This post was last modified: 06-21-2018, 04:45 PM by HURRICANE!!!.)

Personally, I think the fact that Phil got away with committing felony insider trading by paying a $1m is a bigger issue.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/phils-i...ing-escape
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