Same-ball rule trips up Mickelson, US team at Presidents Cup

The pair stood on the seventh tee at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon, all square in their four-ball match against Aussie duo Adam Scott and Jason Day.

Fitzpatrick up one stroke at British Masters: WOBURN, England – England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick birdied the final two holes for a 7-under 64 and a one-stroke lead in the British Masters. It’s a putt here, a putt there; things could have ended differently.

After a few deliberation, Mickelson was informed that he had indeed breached four-ball regulations and was disqualified from that hole, leaving Johnson to play it on his own against Day and Scott.

The third match has Jimmy Walker and Chris Kirk for the Americans against Bae and Matsuyama. They were 2 up through three holes, but the Americans hung in there and the match was all square through 10 holes.

The Americans were docked a hole after Mickelson played a different type of ball at the seventh than the one he’d hit earlier in the round.

Russell said once a shot had been played, the committee could not go back and have Mickelson finish the hole because “allowing a correction could potentially undermine the strategy” already in play by both teams. Only later did they realize Mickelson should have been allowed to complete the hole.

Confused? So were the players.

Internationals skipper Price, who played in five Cups, said he had been on tenterhooks throughout the day. “I’ve never heard of that before”.

The US lead might have been slightly larger if Phil Mickelson had known the rules.

“If you were asking about how I can contribute to the improvement of the bilateral relationship between Korea and Japan, I’m afraid that I am not in a position to talk about a sensitive or political issue here”, Bae said sternly. I just thought, ‘Okay, well if I hit the wrong ball, no big deal. “Zach will cover me on this hole” But obviously, that’s not what happened”. So far his team hasn’t risen to expectations.

“I feel like we spotted the Internationals’ best team two holes and they still couldn’t beat us”. It would have taken a keen observer to look for and discern the difference in Callaway golf balls Mickelson is using. For the second straight day, he holed a bunker shot that helped to turn his match around.

“Yesterday we were switching the balls every hole”, Mickelson said.

Most of the momentum, however, was with the Internationals.

Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace of South Africa provided the lone point for the worldwide team with a 3-and-2 win over Matt Kuchar and Patrick Reed. If it weren’t for this mental mistake by Mickelson and the rules committee, then the outcome of the overall score in Day 2 could have favored Team USA. “We put our chests out, and we went full heart”.

After both its captain and players started the week with weak efforts, the worldwide team rallied on Friday thanks, at least in part, to a pep talk by Price after Thursday’s meltdown.

Spieth and Johnson dismantled Danny Lee and Marc Leishman 4 and 3 on Thursday, but watched hopelessly as Oosthuizen drained putts from long distance on Day 2.

“That was my entire objective”, Watson said. Spieth had to make that par putt for the win, and one of golf’s best putters left little doubt. “We’ve had a very positive reaction from representatives in other Asian countries this week about President Park’s involvement and what that means and the message it conveys, and what’s great about golf”.