Phil Mickelson Wastes No Time in Clapping Back at Hater Over 5-Word Insult

Today, the usual swirl of political commentary met an unexpected guest star: six-time major champion Phil ‘Lefty’ Mickelson. Normally reserved for golf talk and reflections, Mickelson’s timeline briefly morphed into the wild frontier of California politics. The spark came when user Basame posted that a trailer bill tied to California’s environmental legislation was loaded with problems for $SOC, while benefiting Kern County interests and weakening CEQA. Mean Law Dog jumped in, calling the bill even worse for $SOC, before Mickelson himself entered the fray.

Phil Mickelson responded with surprising detail, cutting through the noise: “The Trailer bill died yesterday. It’s dead. AB 1448, if approved by the Senate, will have to pass again in the Assembly due to a change (3 to 5 years being idle) and is highly unlikely to go through again. It passed by one vote and a few have reversed their vote. It is a lose-lose for Gavin if it gets on his desk. The change was a delay tactic so it doesn’t get to his desk. We will find out next week who is correct on this 😊👍👍.” It was a measured, substantive reply, but the tones shifted when Mean Law Dog lashed back with a personal insult: “You are dumb as dog—-, Phil.” Mickelson coolly defused it: “I can’t argue with you there 🤷‍♂️  But I certainly can with your knowledge of $SOC. 😉”

At the heart of the dispute is California Assembly Bill 1448 (AB 1448), authored by Assembly member Gregg Hart. The bill targets offshore oil drilling oversight and coastal protections, requiring the State Lands Commission to consider environmental and health risks before renewing leases. It bans new offshore drilling, mandates the use of modern leak detection technology on pipelines, and requires upgrades to aging infrastructure. A late amendment changed the threshold for idle leases from three years to five, forcing the bill back to the Assembly. Since it only passed there by one vote initially, and with some lawmakers reversing their support, its survival is far from certain.

Environmental groups have praised AB 1448 as essential for protecting California’s coast from disasters like the 2015 Refugio oil spill. But oil-producing regions such as Kern County argue it undermines jobs and economic stability. This tension explains Mickelson’s confidence that the bill was “dead”: even if, technically, it remains alive in the Senate. The confusion in the X exchange stemmed from CEQA reform, California’s broader environmental review law. Major changes to CEQA were already passed in June 2025 through AB 130 and SB 131. Those measures are unrelated to AB 1448, which focuses specifically on oil drilling oversight. Mickelson’s rebuttal aimed to draw that distinction, pointing out that critics were mixing two separate legislative battles.

Mickelson’s sharp wit on X may have stolen the spotlight this week, but away from the digital back-and-forth, the six-time major champion has been making headlines for a more personal reason: his candid admission that his time at the U.S. Open may be nearing its end.

Phil Mickelson talks about his final U.S. Open days

Winning the Grand Slam is the single hardest feat in professional golf. Only six men: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and most recently, Rory McIlroy in 2025, have ever pulled it off. Phil Mickelson has spent more than three decades chasing his place on that list. He owns three Masters titles, two PGA Championships, and an Open Championship, but the U.S. Open remains the glaring void in his legacy.

That makes Oakmont 2025 especially poignant. Mickelson admitted earlier this summer that the Pennsylvania test may be his final U.S. Open, as his five-year exemption is set to expire. “So I said it’s very possibly my last, and I think that’s real. However, I also feel like I’m starting to play some good golf, and this year has been my best year on LIV,” Mickelson said. “I’ve had three top-six finishes and some opportunities to win. If I play like that in some upcoming Major championships, that could ultimately qualify me into another US Open. I don’t want to say it’s my last.” At fifty-five, he remains realistic but refuses to surrender hope.

Few golfers have been as close, as often, without sealing the deal. Mickelson has finished runner-up a record six times at the U.S. Open, including heartbreaks at Pinehurst in 1999, Bethpage in 2002, and Winged Foot in 2006. For many fans, it’s still unfathomable that one of the game’s most gifted shot-makers has never hoisted the trophy that would complete his career résumé. Whether or not that fairytale ending comes, the build-up to Oakmont has already reshaped the narrative of Mickelson’s career twilight. In simple words, it’s a ‘will he or won’t he’ situation, and the fans and critics alike will be paying close attention.