Mickelson Cheats? - Daly Quits?

Scott McCarron dodged the issue of whether he labeled Phil Mickelson a cheater for using vintage wedges this weekend in the Farmers' Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Today McCarron's statement read..... “it’s cheating” for Mickelson and anyone else to use the Ping wedges, “I never called Phil Mickelson a cheater.” Wow, that makes Bill Clinton's interpretation of "is" seem downright sensible. As a wise man once uttered, "Tis' better to appear a fool and keep one's mouth shut, then open it and remove all doubt". Mickelson's not so veiled allusion to possible legal action regarding McCarron's statement may have forced today's rehash from the belly putter user.

Obviously the clubs in question didn't offer Phil much help on Sunday as he shoved the ball around for a smooth 73. In his cookie cutter post-round interview he claimed, as always, that he'd hit the ball better than the score indicated. Evidently Phil's hoping for a move to Olympic type scoring where style points count at least as much as getting the ball in the hole. This average golfer believes that Phil was stretching the limits of the rules, but playing within them.  His rep may take a dent, although I'm sure in his pre-game calculations he took that into consideration. Any thought that his playing of the Pings was an intentional message to the PGA regarding the new rules was scrapped by his crash/burn finish. I'm sure he'd trade the "message" for a Sunday 65. Phil's always been a grandstander. Why now would we expect any different?

Big John Daly's image didn't suffer an iota when he announced that he'd quit the game after missing the cut in the aforementioned tournament. Daly's image was already somewhere south of gutter before he struck his first shot. The "lovable lug" act has been used up. He was right in proclaiming that he's been taking spots in events that would be better served going to young up and comers. Unfortunately, like many times before, Daly retracted his words the following day. Now we'll have to be subjected to wayward drives and a non-existent short game for a while longer. As if that's not enough, the Golf Channel is continuing to prostitute Daly in again another upcoming series. I tried to watch his last one, but grew weary of watching a grown man smoke cigarettes, drink beer, play bad guitar, and sleep. As a guitarist myself, it was the lame rendition of Knockin' On Heaven's Door that made my hair hurt.


Daly had a chance last fall to redeem himself. With no official PGA status, relying on car wreck audiences for sponsor exemptions, he could have entered Q School. Had he done so he would have at least proven his desire to honor the game and the fellow players that work so hard to get to the big show. Even had he failed he would have performed surgery on his reputation and garnered lost respect, not to mention that the exemptions would still be there to fall back on. Instead he took the easiest route with least required effort. Look, this is my shocked face.





Til' next,