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Phil Mickelson was exposed for disregarding a rule of golf during his participation in the second round of the PGA Championship. Even so, the referee's intervention prevented his performance from being worse than it was and, eventually, from missing the cut in the tournament.
The event occurred at the 6th hole (number 15 of the round for him). Mickelson hit his first shot, sending his ball 274 yards to the right, straight into a water hazard. At this point, according to the new rule, Mickelson should have dropped the ball to within one club length of where it was lost, regardless of whether it is closer to the hole or not.
However, not being aware of this modification, the LIV star and six-time major tournament champion, performed the procedure according to the rule previously in effect. He placed a tee in the first rough cut along the line where his ball crossed and placed another tee in the fairway a couple of clubs to the left.
This is a change that came into effect on January 1, 2023, to adjust a rule that has been changed four times in the last four years. No wonder then that an experienced golfer like Mickelson overlooked this situation.
Quickly, a rules official approached him and pointed out the foul. Phil Mickelson disagreed:
“I don’t think that’s right. In fact, I know it’s not. You get a full semicircle on every drop. You mark your spot, and then you get a full club length. I appreciate you stopping me and making sure I don’t make a mistake, but I don’t think that’s accurate. I think you get a semicircle on every drop,” Mickelson said, according to Golf.com.
However, the official was able to explain his mistake, pointing out that the rule had changed at the beginning of this year. He even showed Mickelson the possibility of backing up his ball, something the golfer was grateful for:
“Thanks for stopping me. I appreciate your help. Thank you,” Mickelson added.
Phil Mickelson at the 2023 PGA Championship
Hole 6 ended up being a double bogey, but it could have been worse. In fact, Phil Mickelson finished the second round with +5, right on the cut line of the 2023 PGA Championship. One more stroke would have left him without options to play the weekend.
Mickelson closed the first round with +3, due to two bogeys and a double bogey against only one birdie. The second was more of the same: he made two bogeys and a double bogey, but was able to get two birdies that eventually kept him in contention.
Round three is also proving to be difficult. At the 17th hole, Mickelson plays the round for par, maintaining a score of +5. It's been a performance well below expectations for him in this PGA Tour major tournament.
