PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Phil Mickelson read the USGA and R&A’s distance report that was released Tuesday and took his share of jabs at golf’s governing bodies during his pre-tournament press conference on the eve of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Mickelson’s biggest beef with the report, which expressed concern for distance gains becoming “unsustainable,“ was his opposition to what he perceives as punishing athletes for getting better.
“I don’t think that we have had massive equipment changes. We have just had athletes that have been able to take advantage of the equipment more so than in the past. And I hate to see that discouraged,” Mickelson said. “You look at what Bryson (DeChambeau) has done getting in the gym, getting after it, lifting weights, and hitting bombs, and now he’s – now you’re talking about trying to roll it back because he’s made himself a better athlete. So, I don’t know if I agree with that. But I also don’t really understand the whole scope of how it affects the game and how it affects agronomy and golf courses and so forth, so I’m not sure I’m the best one to really comment on it. I just know from the small little bubble of the PGA Tour, I hate seeing the athletes be punished or discouraged from continuing to work and get better.”
Mickelson also questioned whether the USGA and R&A were qualified to be making decisions that would shape the future of professional golf.
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“I struggle with some of our governing bodies,” Mickelson said. “I struggle with it because we’re the only sport, we’re the only professional sport in the world that is governed by a group of amateurs, and that leads to some questionable directions that we go down. I wish that we had people that are involved in the sport professionally to be in charge a little bit more.”
Mickelson slinged his last arrow directly at the USGA and its U.S. Senior Open, which will be held at Newport (R.I.) Country Club, June 25-28. It would be the first PGA Tour Champions event that he is eligible for after turning 50 on June 16. It is scheduled the week after the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club, where Mickelson has one of his six runner-up finishes.
When asked if he had any interest in playing the U.S. Senior Open and if winning the title would bring a certain level of satisfaction to him, Mickelson answered, “None whatsoever. No.”
For playing it or satisfaction, he was asked.
“Both,” Mickelson said.
