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'I'm embarrassed': Phil Mickelson apologizes for actions at US Open

Posted at 3:31 PM, Jun 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-20 18:31:09-04

ASU alum Phil Mickelson has issued an apology for his actions at the 13th hole of the U.S. Open on Saturday.

Already sitting at 10-over par for the tournament and facing a bogey on the 13th hole Saturday, Mickelson missed a putt, but then chased it down while the ball was still rolling away from the hole and hit it again. He missed that putt, as well, and received a two-stroke penalty for hitting a ball that was still in motion. He went 6-over on the hole itself, marking his worst score on a U.S. Open hole as a pro and ultimately costing him about $123,000.

Mickelson finished 16-over par for the tournament and tied for 49th place.

“I know this should’ve come sooner, but it’s taken me a few days to calm down. My anger and frustration got the best of me last weekend,” Mickelson wrote in a note to Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte and a handful of other media members Wednesday. “I’m embarrassed and disappointed by my actions. It was clearly not my finest moment and I’m sorry.”

The U.S. Open is the only of the four major golf tournaments Mickelson has yet to win.

"I know it's a two-shot penalty, and at that time, I just didn't feel like going back and forth and hitting the same shot over. I took the two-shot penalty and moved on," Mickelson had told FOX Sports after Saturday's round. "I've had multiple times where I wanted to do that; I just finally did."

When he returned to the 13th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday, Mickelson celebrated as if he had won the tournament as he sank a putt to par the hole.