Phil Mickelson once hit a shot at the 2018 US Open which was labelled as ‘one of the strangest’ things ever seen on a golf course by fellow pro
Not only did Phil Mickelson have the talent to win six majors, but he also had an ability to compete better than anyone else when it came to stealing fans away from Tiger Woods.
With Mickelson, it feels like anything can happen when he is addressing a golf ball. Quite often, his imagination would help him get out of the worst positions on the golf course.
However, that imagination could also get him into trouble from time to time. And one of the best examples of that came at the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills in New York.
Shinnecock provided a brutal test, with Brooks Koepka winning the tournament on one over par. Mickelson meanwhile, would see any hope of a challenge for that elusive US Open title dashed on a dreadful Saturday.
Lefty shot 81 on Saturday – but two of those shots came in the form of a penalty on the 13th hole. Mickelson, seemingly fearing that his putt would roll off the green, started to sprint after the ball and actually hit his next shot before the ball had stopped moving.
Unsurprisingly, Mickelson came in for a lot of criticism for his actions. And playing partner Andrew Johnston – who shot 82 that day – shared how surreal the incident was.
“Just one of the mad moments, really. We were both obviously really struggling. It was funny because I didn’t think he hit that bad of a chip shot from behind the green in the first place. And as it released and went through, I thought wow, that is seriously quick. So to knock that past and then hit the putt going back towards back off the green, I think it’s just one of the moments where you’re not thinking about it. It just – it just happens, and he just did it,” he said.
“It wasn’t a thing of saying, I’ve had enough or this and that. It just happened.
“I said that’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen and then just started laughing, to be honest. I said I’m sorry, but I’ve got to laugh at this,” he added.
What Mickelson said about his two-shot penalty at the 2018 US Open
While Johnston was in disbelief, it appears that Mickelson had had this idea in the back of his mind for some time before actually going through with it.
Although he insisted that he did not mean to cause any offence, Mickelson suggested that he felt that it was the better option for him at that moment.
“Look, I don’t mean disrespect by anybody. I know it’s a two-shot penalty. At that time I just didn’t feel like going back and forth and hitting the same shot over. I took the two-shot penalty and moved on. It’s my understanding of the rules. I’ve had multiple times where I’ve wanted to do that, I just finally did it,” he said.
It certainly left Mickelson in the spotlight in a tournament he had no chance of winning. And it is fair to say that he probably relished being the talk of the town due to his antics.
