US Open ‘moment of madness’: Phil Mickelson hits moving ball with putter to score sextuple bogey
American says the incident was not a childish display of frustration as he preferred taking the two-shot penalty at a brutal Shinnecock Hills course
Phil Mickelson insisted he meant no disrespect when he opted to putt a moving ball in the third round of the US Open – swallowing a sextuple bogey at the 13th hole.
Mickelson’s bogey putt at Shinnecock Hills’ par-four 13th skated past the cup and was heading down a slope when he trotted after it and batted it back towards the hole with his putter.
He needed eight strokes to get the ball in the hole and with a two-stroke penalty walked off with a sextuple bogey 10 on the way to his highest ever round in 27 US Open appearances of 11-over 81.
Playing partner Andrew Johnston called it “a moment of madness”.
But Mickelson said the incident was not a childish display of frustration from a five-time major champion celebrating his 48th birthday.
Instead, he said, he decided the two-stroke penalty he knew he would receive would be preferable to letting the ball escape off the green.