Phil Mickelson Was Once Blatantly Accused of ‘Cheating’ on the Golf Course. What Happened?

Phil Mickelson is one of the greatest golfers of all time. However, his career has had quite a few controversies, especially against the USGA, the governing body of golf. He has not had a good relationship with the USGA since the start of his career. Moreover, the U.S. Open is the only major championship he hasn’t won in his career.

In 2010, during the Farmers Insurance Open, a player accused Mickelson of cheating. He believed Phil was using wedges that are not allowed under a legal technicality. “It’s cheating, and I’m appalled Phil has put it in play,” said Scott McCarron.

Which wedges did Phil Mickelson use?

Phil Mickelson was among those rare golfers who used Ping-Eye 2 wedges with square grooves. However, the USGA banned these grooves on the PGA Tour. Moreover, most of the golfers used V-grooves. Meanwhile, challenging this decision, Ping filed a lawsuit against the USGA. They settled this lawsuit in 1990. Hence, any Ping-Eye 2 wedge made before April 1, 1990, remained legal. 

Therefore, Phil Mickelson used the wedges that Ping manufactured before April 1, 1990. So, technically, he was not using any illegal clubs. However, Scott’s comments spread like wildfire, as cheating on golf is probably the worst accusation.

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Meanwhile, Phil refused to reply to McCarron. Instead, he criticized the USGA’s new rules. “It’s a terrible rule. To change something that has a kind of loophole is nuts,” said Mickelson. “But it’s not up to me or any other player to interpret what the rile is or the spirit of the rule. And I think that myself or any other player is allowed to play those clubs because they’re approved. End of story,” concluded Phil.

Furthermore, Scott McCarron believes the USGA has approved the wedges under a lawsuit. He thinks this is not in the spirit of the rules. Hence, he accused the left-handed golfer of cheating. 

After all the drama, Phil stopped using these wedges, saying this whole groove had turned into a debacle. Furthermore, he did not hold back from criticizing the USGA for failing to address this loophole. 

What is the difference between square grooves and V-grooves?

The square grooves, or U-grooves, give a slight advantage to players as they help to generate more spin. So, the ball frequently ended up near the pin location. However, with the V-grooves, the amount of spin on the ball is less. Hence, the USGA believed golfers required more skill to use these grooves than the square grooves. To date, the square grooves remain illegal, and no golf equipment companies manufacture them anymore.

So, what are your views? Did Phil Mickelson cheat by using the square grooves? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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