Phil Mickelson Issues Apology for Putting a Moving Ball at the U.S. Open

Phil Mickelson has apparently had a change of heart regarding his actions on the 13th green during the third round of the U.S. Open.

Mickelson set golf twitter on fire during the third round when he missed a putt and ran hit the ball back towards the hole before letting it come to rest. He was given a two-stroke penalty at the time, but he should have been disqualified.

Opinions on Twitter started flying in immediately afterwards and continued on for several days. The actions were quite surprising from the five-time major champion, and even though we all understand his frustration with the U.S. Open, they were childish and unbecoming of a hall of famer.

Here’s the video again for those of you who may have somehow missed it.

After his round, Mickelson defended his actions saying at the time:

"“I didn’t feel like going back and forth. It’s meant to take advantage of the rules as best you can. In that situation I was just going back and forth. I would gladly take the two shots over continuing that display. “I don’t mean any disrespect and if that’s the way people took it I apologize to them. I took the two-shot penalty and moved on. There’s not much else to say.”"

On Wednesday, after having several days to reflect on his actions, Mickelson issued an apology:

Several Tour pros have come out and said that Mickelson should have been disqualified for the actions.

It’s good to see that Lefty has realized that he may have gone a little too far, of course, he may have released this statement to get everyone off of his back moving forward because he knows he’s definitely going to have to field questions about it for a while.