SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. _ One thought crossed John Daly's mind as he watched Phil Mickelson's 13th-hole U.S. Open meltdown on TV after Mickelson whacked his ball as it was still rolling down the slope.
"That was the smartest thing Phil ever could have done," Daly told the Daily News by phone. "People need to get off Phil's a--. That decision probably saved him two, three, four strokes. If he hadn't done that, he'd still be out there."
Daly has some experience with hitting moving balls during a major. At the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1999, Daly had a similar reaction on the No. 8 hole during the final round.
After trying to chip the ball onto the green multiple times _ only to have his ball roll back toward him _ Daly finally, in his words, "chili-dipped" the ball while it was still moving. He ended up with an 11 on the par-4 hole, a septuple-bogey.
"But there is no comparison to what I did and what Phil did today," said Daly. "Listen, I love Phil, and he's one of the smartest golfers out there. If he let the ball continue to roll off to the left, and then had to chip it, he'd probably be looking at a 15 or 16."
Daly, 52, a two-time major champion _ 1995 British Open and 1991 PGA Championship _ was asked about the Twitter reaction to Mickelson, where legions of social media users blasted Lefty, saying he disrespected the game of golf with his decision on 13.
"Who cares?" Daly said. "The U.S. Open at Shinnecock is one of the hardest professional courses. But that's what's great about the Open. You might have somebody nine shots back, turn it around and get back in the hunt the next round. I think someone who is two-over, or three-over is going to win this Open. You're not going to have someone win that is under par. I think Dustin Johnson will win."
Mickelson finished his third round 17-over for the tournament, so unless he has a miracle round Sunday, he's likely going to continue to chase that elusive major he's never won. His disastrous 13th hole went a long way toward ensuring that. But in Daly's mind, hitting a moving ball was one of Phil's smartest moves ever on the links.
"Lay off Phil," Daly said.
