RORY MCILROY WASN’T the only player left to rue an unfortunate penalty at the HSBC Golf Championship this weekend.
Phil Mickelson finished in a tie for second alongside McIlroy, a shot behind winner Pablo Larrazabal, and it would have been even better but for a stroke of bad luck that led to a triple-bogey seven.
Mickelson’s tee shot at 13 ended up under a bush. Most players would have taken a drop in the circumstances but Mickelson, who has built a career around moments of magic like this, swivelled his club and tried to play it out right-handed.
But Lefty double-hit the ball, picking up a penalty, and to make matters worse he didn’t even have a clean shot afterwards.
“I felt it was worth the risk,” he explained afterwards. “It never crossed my mind that it could double‑hit it.
“I was just trying to dribble it out of the bush, and that — when it hit the club, not only did it cost me a penalty stroke, but it also stopped the ball from going to a spot where I could hit it again.”
This big risk backfired and cost Phil Mickelson a win in Abu Dhabi
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RORY MCILROY WASN’T the only player left to rue an unfortunate penalty at the HSBC Golf Championship this weekend.
Phil Mickelson finished in a tie for second alongside McIlroy, a shot behind winner Pablo Larrazabal, and it would have been even better but for a stroke of bad luck that led to a triple-bogey seven.
Mickelson’s tee shot at 13 ended up under a bush. Most players would have taken a drop in the circumstances but Mickelson, who has built a career around moments of magic like this, swivelled his club and tried to play it out right-handed.
But Lefty double-hit the ball, picking up a penalty, and to make matters worse he didn’t even have a clean shot afterwards.
“I felt it was worth the risk,” he explained afterwards. “It never crossed my mind that it could double‑hit it.
“I was just trying to dribble it out of the bush, and that — when it hit the club, not only did it cost me a penalty stroke, but it also stopped the ball from going to a spot where I could hit it again.”
Frustrated McIlroy misses out by one shot after final hole drama in Abu Dhabi
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Golf HSBC Golf Championship Phil Mickelson RISKY BUSINESS