‘I Love Phil but…’: When Fellow Pros Were Disgruntled With Phil Mickelson After He Narrowly Escaped Disqualification at the 2018 U.S. Open

Phil Mickelson enjoys the pleasure of being addressed as an elite player in golf. Needless to say, the American sensation has also made sure to justify himself being addressed with the title. However, in 2018, Mickelson’s reputation was put at stake after an act that nearly disqualified him from the US Open.

Over the years, the US Open has been one of those tournaments which have been closest yet the farthest for Phil Mickelson in terms of winning. With his impressive performance, the 52-year-old has finished the tournament in the 2nd spot, a record 6 times in his career. However, despite giving his best shots, the 6-time major champion is yet to win the title. Competing at the 2018 US Open, Mickelson indulged in the unruly act of hitting a moving ball. An act, that invited major criticism from his peers on the tour.

Phil Mickelson called out for nearly missing a disqualification

At the 2018 US Open, Mickelson hit a moving ball to stop it from rolling off the green. The act, termed as a ‘breach of rules’ forced involvement of the United States Golf Association. After close examination, the governing body opted to assess Mickelson with a 2-stroke penalty under Rule 14.5…a rule primarily meant for players who ‘accidentally’ hit a moving ball.

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While Mickelson agreed with the penalty and opted to move ahead in the game, that wasn’t the case with his golfing peers. Taking to their social media handle, they called out USGA for wrongly citing Rule 14.5 in Mickelson’s case. Accusing Mickelson of purposely hitting the ball, they further suggested USGA to look into the case under Rule 1.2 (rule for cases in which a player intentionally alters the ball movement) and disqualify him.

Italian golfing sensation, Edoardo Molinari, wrote on his Twitter, “I think that’s a serious breach…in that case I am sorry to say because I love Phil but that’s a DQ!”

This wasn’t all. Walking on the same path as Molinari, various other golfing names also came forward to express their share of disappointment:

The incident took place on the 13th hole of the third round. Taking position, Mickelson hit his bogey putt. However, adding a bit more power, the ball went well past the hole, appearing to roll off the green. ]Mickelson ran after the ball, hitting it again while it was still moving.

What are your opinions on Mickelson’s act? Let us know in the comments below.