By Christopher Powers
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — We could try to attempt to explain what Phil Mickelson, celebrating his 48th birthday by playing the third round of the U.S. Open, just did on the 13th green at Shinnecock, but it’s beyond comprehension. Four over on his round after making five bogeys on his previous eight holes, Mickelson faced a slick, downhill 18-footer for bogey. Mickelson’s putt then rolled past the hole and it did not appear like it was going to stop before rolling off the front of the green. Inexplicably, Mickelson ran after his ball and hit it while it was still in motion on the green:
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
It’s a jaw-dropping move from Mickelson, and something that actually has happened before in a U.S. Open. John Daly did it at the par-4 eighth hole at Pinehurst in 1999 and walked away with a 13, eventually carding an 83. Afterwards, Daly claimed he had taken the penalty on purpose as a protest against the USGA placing so many precarious pins on Pinehurst No. 2’s mounded greens. Kirk Triplett also did it at the U.S. Open in 1998 at the Olympic Club, stopping his ball in motion with his putter on the 18th green when he already knew he was missing the cut.
It’s not clear why Mickelson did it, and he’s gone about his round almost as if it didn’t happen, continue to smile and thumbs up in typical Phil fashion.
