Phil's Withdrawal

[Flv02]

Hey golfers,

 

As many of you know, I am a huge Phil Mickelson fan. I was wondering what you all thought after is withdrawal of the tournament after a +7 first round. He didn't lie. He said it wasn't physical and he was just mentally fatigued. Do you think that he made the right decision? That since he mentally was not in the game, the best thing he could do was pack it up a day early and get ready for the US Open? Or were is obligations to the tournament and Mr. Nicklaus more important? Everybody knows this is non-Phil like, and it has come to a shock to everyone. Give me your opinions!

[apples]

My reaction to this was "Boo hoo". He plays golf for a living, this is jack's tournament and he had obligations to fullfill. I can understand withdrawing if he had an injury, but just because he is "mentally fatigued" is a poor excuse in my opinion.

[GolfSpy WD]

Phil is only fun to watch when he's doing well, so I say let it go. Plus, his withdrawal probably creates more publicity than a mediocre round (but maybe not as much as a +7).

[Matt Saternus]

Two thoughts:

 

1) As MP Applegate said: Boo hoo. "I play golf for a living and it really wears me out." Sorry, not getting any sympathy from me.

 

2) I appreciate the honesty. He could have faked an injury and spared himself the criticism, but he told the truth. There's something to be said for that.

[GolfSpy Dave]

My fault. Had him on my roster today. Sorry Phil :unsure:

 

Billy Hurley III is still in there after going +12.

 

Looks like someone needs Pro Mental Coach or maybe a hug

[RoverRick]

Right Phil is a professional golfer, and as such, he only gets paid when he plays well enough to make the cut. If he does not he does not get paid. Unless Jack was paying him an appearance fee than he owes him nothing. He did show up and play the pro am. It makes no difference in the grand scheme of things. So if he wants to WD he can WD when ever he wants. He wants to win the US Open. Nobody cares who won the Memorial come next Monday but the guy who got the check and the ones who could have gotten the check had they not screwed up on the closing holes.

 

Everybody will remember who wins the US Open next week. If he wants to start preparing for that it is his choice.

[Kanoito]

Smart move IMHO. Rally back from +7? Doable, but if he's fatigued, it probably won't happen.

Preparing (or resting in this case) for the US Open seems like a bigger priority to me.

 

wd hit the point. Even though he owes it to the fans to show up, he is only fun to watch if he's playing well.

 

In the end, it's not a bad thing... there is enough talent out there to watch!

[Matt Saternus]

Typical country club pro.....How would you explain this to your son?.....When you're mentally fatigued, quit?....Then you have Tiger, who when he bombs, falls back on a physical malady......So now you have two of the greatest golfers of their era, arguably two of the greatest of all time & what do they teach you/children about handling adversity or a bad day?....So one is more honest than the other...Quitting is quitting....

I sure wish I had a job where I could just quit & come back another day when I felt better..."Mentally fatigued"...I'm gonna try that one with one of my employees....It'll set a good example....

Then again, I'm reminded of Charles Barkley's comment about being a role model...These guys are nothing more than entertainers & would you look to Brad Pitt or Mick Jagger to set an example for your child?...Or Charles Barkley?...Or Phil Mickelson or Tiger?...yea right!....Nuff said.....

Fairways & Greens 4ever....

 

Yes, to everything. Double yes to the bolded part.

[JBones]

"Mental fatigue" is a publicist's excuse. If he really wanted to be honest, he should have said "this course kicked my ass today. I'm going home to take a nap. See you at the US Open". I like Phil, but I really took this as a little kids "you didn't play fair, so I'm taking my toys and going home" kind of deal.

[JohnBarry]

Of course he only does this when I have him on my fantasy golf team..boo hoo

[GolfSpy Dave]

It did make me this of this as well...

[revkev]

I don't know I'm with Charles Barkley - who has a golfer as a role model? Entertainers show you what they want you to see.

 

My Dad, God rest his soul, is my role model. My coaches and teachers and ministers were my role models. My older friends my mentors.

 

I love sports to death but have a professional athlete as a role model and you will ultimately be disappointed.

 

For his part Phil is entitled to do what he did. For all we know he called or spoke to Jack first and got his blessing. I do know about mental exhaustion and I only wish that mine came from playing in too many tournaments or traveling to France - Mine come from weeks where I've had to perform 5 funerals, or that time where I cut down a 20 something man who hung himself, today I have to let a school employee go who's been here for 30 years but who doesn't realize that she can no longer perform her work - I'm mentally exhausted thinking about that - wish I could go home before that deed gets done. But, I don't have the luxury of taking off when I feel that way other than to use vacation time. I don't begrudge Phil that opportunity - he chose and excelled in his line of work, I chose and have done whatever I've done in mine.

 

Tough to compare what a professional athlete goes through to what we go through or impose our standards on theirs - it's their perk - just don't have these guys or gals as role models.

[GolfSpy WD]

One thing I hadn't though of before hearing it on the radio is that many many fans went out to see Phil and some even probably had to pay for travel. He should have stuck around another day (assuming he misses the cut) for them and maybe even put on a show.

[Tyk]

He pretty much said he'd been partying in Europe with his family the week before, I think he was just wiped out and not into it. Needed a vacation to recover from his vacation, boy do I know that feeling! While I don't think it was very professional of him, well, he's one of the best in the game right now and he can get away with that every now and then. There are perks to being that good. I'd much rather a player say "man, I've got a wicked hangover and I gotta go take a 2 day nap" than fake an injury.