Mickelson Meltdown

[Berzerker]

I dont have video but I'm sure google will turn up plenty of links

For those watching, the US Open is brutal this year. The greens are fast of course but they're typically on plateaus surrounded by shaved grass sloping into collection areas - designed depressions that catch balls rolling off the greens. If you dont get the ball in the right spots your beautiful shot can turn into a nightmare as the ball just keeps rolling by the flag and off the green into an abyss with the prospect of an uphill shot coming back the other way. The scores are high and some players are a bit upset with the pin placements. Bryson Dechambleau called one shot into a par 3 'clown golf', as in miniature golf I guess.

Anyway, Phil Mickelson was maybe 12-14 ft away from the hole putting downhill for a bogey (1 over par) and his ball just kept going right on by the hole heading down to the front of the green and probably off. The moment he saw his ball wasn't stopping he jogged after it and before it stopped rolling, he hit it back toward the hole, it hit the lip and ended up a few feet above the hole. Its like he had a brainfart induced by the tough conditions and just melted down. He got a 2 stroke penalty for hitting a ball in motion and took a 10 on the hole.

People playing friendly golf occasionally do things like that, but Phil did it in the US Open. It was bizarre, I can only think he was so pissed off with his putting game and maybe the greens he responded irrationally.

[Aeson]

It’s about time we get a Happy Gilmore reboot!

[Berzerker]

He says he didn't want to play the ball after it rolled off the front of the green and decided to take the 2 stroke penalty. He said he was taking advantage of the rules...

[Berzerker]

announcers called his explanation spin

ouch...one said he's gonna run for office one day and he called him a spin master

[Berzerker]

"FIRE JOE BUCK"

Some dude yelled that after Dustin Johnson hit a shot

I guess someone's not happy with the announcer's comments about Phil

[-Jrabbit]

He would've holed something better than a TEN if he just plays by the rules.
Phil def lost his cool.

[Berzerker]

it was a bogey putt... so it rolls off the green and he gets up and down and takes a triple bogey (7) or at worst an 8

every golfer has their f this moment on a golf course... for me its with a putter. one of my buds has a habit of finding trees, another with shanks

[COckney]

terberker lol sys

[Lorizael]

This is what qualifies as a meltdown in golf? Go watch some old footage of John McEnroe.

[rah]

Yeah this was the golf equivalent. It Phil had a history of this I might be more concerned, but after his long career this was the first time. It does show just how bad a two pin placements were on Saturday. It was fun listening to the guys in charge even admitting that the wind caught them off guard so those placements were "probably" not very fair. THE WIND CAUGHT THEM OFF GUARD. Yeah, there's never any wind out there. I hope this doesn't have any impact on his legacy. It won't as far as I'm concerned.

I'd be more concerned that the early players had that big of an advantage on the weekend.

[Broken_Erika]

[Berzerker]

some guy for the network showed what would have happened to Phil's ball if he hadn't stopped it... It would have rolled off the green and turned left rolling down behind a bunker with almost no prospect of chipping over it close to the hole. Yikes... I didn't know this and apparently Phil didn't either or forgot, but he could have let the ball go and taken an unplayable lie and returned the ball to its original spot on the green above the hole from where he putted. That would have been a 1 stroke penalty, but seems like a loophole in the rule.

[rah]

Yeah, never quite seen that rule used like that. It does seem kind of like a loophole. And I'm sure now that a lot more players are thinking about it.