‘I Think It Should Be Reversed’: Phil Mickelson Firmly Stood Behind Lexi Thompson in a Contentious Situation in 2017

Winning a major is a huge achievement for any golfer. The G.O.A.T., Tiger Woods, has won 15 times in his career, and the legendary Phil Mickelson has won six. Lexi Thompson holds one major under her belt and almost had a second in 2017. She lost the game due to a 4-stroke penalty, which created an uproar amongst the entire golfing community. Many spoke out in her favor, and among them was Phil Mickelson

Lexi loses out on her second major

In 2017, Lexi Thompson was playing at the ANA Inspiration. She was playing the game of her life then. At the end of round 3, she was three strokes in front. The next day, Lexi played just as well; her confidence was high, and her game was fantastic. The trouble began with six holes to go on the final day.

The officials informed Thompson that she was facing a four-stroke penalty for having committed two fouls the previous day, as brought to light by a television viewer’s email to the LPGA. The fouls were as follows: placing a marked ball in an incorrect place and signing an incorrect scorecard. Lexi’s 3-stroke lead had vanished, and she was now trailing by a stroke.

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A devastated Lexi tried to gather herself but in vain. She saw her sister Ryu So-Yeon lift the trophy after losing to her in a playoff. The fans sided with Lexi, and so did Mickelson. He said, “I think it should be reversed, I think that she should be given the trophy.”

Phil Mickelson speaks out in Lexi’s favor

Lefty went on to explain that he was aware of many instances where players had placed their ball inches away from the actual spot after marking it and suffered no consequences. He said, “I know a number of guys on tour that are loose with how they mark the ball and have not been called on it.”

Phil clearly put it out there that he found the behavior unacceptable and said, “And I think that kind of stuff needs to stop.” But Phil Mickelson believed there was an alternative to just penalizing Lexi. He suggested that the league could warn the players if they notice them doing something of the sort. He believed that Lexi hadn’t meant any harm and added, “I feel like we’ve all kind of been a little lax at times in the markings of our golf ball and I hate to see it cost somebody a major championship because of that,”

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It is clear that had the decision been up to Phil, he would have unflinchingly handed the trophy to Lexi. Many fans also sided against the LPGA’s decision. What is your take on it?