Phil Mickelson snaps at US Open as he deliberately putts his ball twice BEFORE it had stopped moving
- Phil Mickelson took evasive measures to stop a putt from rolling off the green
- The 48-year-old was enduring a bad run of bogeys in the US Open third round
- He denied disrespecting the rules of golf after carding as 11-over score of 81
Phil Mickelson’s 48th birthday took a stunning turn at the US Open on Saturday when he stopped a putt from rolling off the 13th green.
Clearly at the end of his tether after a shocking run of bogeys in his third round, the much-decorated American embarrassed himself when another putt rolled past the hole.
Instead of waiting to see where it finished, he stopped the ball with his putter and knocked it back whence it came.
Phil Mickelson deliberately putted his ball twice before it had stopped moving at the US Open
The 48-year-old Mickelson said that he did not intend to disrespect the competition
It meant an automatic two-shot penalty and he ended up with a 10 for the hole.
‘That’s absolutely amazing, that’s Phil basically giving up and saying, “No more”,’ David Fay, a former executive director of the United States Golf Association, said on American television.
After carding an 11-over par round of 81 to leave him 17 over for the tournament, Mickelson said: ‘It’s meant to take advantage of the rules as best you can. In that situation, I would gladly take the two shots.’
Mickelseon said that he was trying ‘to take advantage of the rules as best you can’
Mickelson has finished runner-up at the US Open on six occasions.
This performance will be remembered for wholly unsavoury reasons.
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