Scottish Open: Phil Mickelson says US Open rule break was down to 'mental lapse'

Last updated on .From the section Golf

When Phil Mickelson finished his opening round at the Scottish Open at Gullane on Thursday he looked at the media pack awaiting his arrival into the mixed zone and cracked a joke.
"Guys, I'm not going to talk about today's round, but if you have any questions about what happened at the US Open last month I'm happy to answer them."
The list of questions about what he did at Gullane: zero. The list of questions about his rule-breaking and subsequent brazen defence of what had amounted to cheating at Shinnecock Hills last month: plenty.
"I have had mental lapses throughout my whole life," said Mickelson, in his first proper discussion about his behaviour on the 13th green of the third round at Shinnecock, when he admitted to deliberately putting a moving ball in order to stop it running off the green and into an unenviable position. "It's not new, but that was one of the worst ones. It's not been my best month, OK. I've had a rough month and I'm working at trying to fix that."
Mickelson was penalised two shots for his actions at Shinnecock. Many observers believed he should have been disqualified or even withdrawn from the final round. He was penalised again last week at the Greenbrier on the USPGA tour, this time for stamping on a tuft of grass in front of his ball.
In the immediate aftermath of his moment at Shinnecock, Mickelson advised all those who took umbrage at his actions to "toughen up". Asked about it now he, finally, engaged properly with the question.
He said: "Regrets? Oh sure, I made a big mistake and I wish I could take it back, but I can't. It wasn't a great moment and there's not much I can do about it now apart from just trying to act a little better.
"Throughout my career of 25 years there has been a lot of times where I have had to be accountable for decisions I did not make and the reason why this has been easier is because it was my own fault. The articles and the backlash is my own fault. You have to be accountable. I do a lot of dumb stuff.

"I had that rules deal at the Greenbrier last week and last year at Greenbrier I picked up my ball in the middle of the fairway and marked it and cleaned it. I have these moments where I'm in a cloud and I'm not really sure what I'm doing, not really aware of the moment.
"I've done that a bunch in my career. I've picked up the ball and marked it and cleaned it probably four or five times when the first couple of days was lift, clean and place, and I kept doing it [after it was no longer lift, clean and place]. I do stuff like that. It's just the way my mind works.
"We all make mistakes and that was certainly one of them. Not only was I not great on the course I was not great after the round either. It was not a great day. And it was my birthday and I tend to do dumb stuff on my birthday.
"It took me days [to calm down]. I was pretty angry. The way I show anger is not the traditionally accepted way of throwing clubs and berating the fans and marshals. I tend to be more passive-aggressive in my actions."
It was the interview Mickelson should have done the day after the US Open last month, but he's done it now. He shot level-par 70 in his opening round at Gullane, a mere incidental given all the other stuff swirling around his ears.
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Seems a shame for it to be that way for a man who has given so much to the game over the years. Perhaps i need to learn to let things go!
Like many I have gone right off that man, and in the end, this incident and how he treated the great Tom Watson will be the things I remember about this smiling assassin.
Agree 100%
He blotted his copybook with the comments after the Ryder Cup & his behaviour (within the rules or not) was completely unacceptable
If this happened playing in a monthly medal the player would put in a NR
& his immediate defensive reaction after was poor & can't believe no one had a quiet word & got him to pull out
When you think the abuse that Patrick Reed has taken for his supposed misdemeanors whilst at college it will be interesting to see if there is any backlash at all in the coming months.
Phil cheated - everybody saw it ...
The people who now need to step up are the USGA who should have disqualified him at the time and their reaction then and since has been pathetic.
Good luck to Phil for the rest of the year with the exception of the Ryder Cup, come on Europe!
I never liked PM growing up, but it seems to me he's livened up and he's got a great sense of humour. Golf would be far worse off without him.
“That is not cheating-it’s called gamesmanship”. Got to disagree.
Gamesmanship is taking a rule in sport and bending it, stretching it, doing what you like with it but without actually breaking it, to gain an advantage. PM’s ball was moving, not by a gust of wind but after a poor putt. By his own admission he knowingly and deliberately broke a rule, that’s cheating.
Another typical, egotistic, overpaid sportsman. Not fit to grace the company of golfing greats, gentlemen like Tom Watson who he saw fit to put down.
Hope you get very, very wet in the Barry Burn next week.
Guess I'm best not having sporting heroes anymore.
Lance was another one that let his fans down....
I guess he's just what we all are. Human
Even if he didn't withdraw he could have at least donated his prize money to charity.
As has been observed before, if he'd been contrite and apologetic immediately the world would have moved on. In my view the story is really less about what he did and more the "I did it on purpose and I'd do it again" response he gave after the round.