Wrap: Mickelson Wrong Ball, Wrong Ruling Antics

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AP's Doug Ferguson leads with the oddity of a veteran like Phil Mickelson encountering a situation he'd never seen (a match adjustment penalty), and one started by his switching to a harder ball in hopes of reaching a par-5 in two.

But with this score adjustment for a rules violation element, reader RM makes a fair point: there is no such thing as dormie if you're two down with one to go! Woohoo!

Anyway, from Ferguson's story:

"I was talking with Jay and I just thought, 'Gosh, I'm going to ask. I'm sure it's not an issue,'" Mickelson said. "And it turns out that there was a one-ball rule and it was an issue. As a player, you need to know that. You need to know the rules, and if you have a question, you do it beforehand."

No one knew the ramifications.

The penalty for violating the one-ball rule is called a one-hole adjustment, meaning the one hole is awarded to the other team.

But the rules committee erred when it told Mickelson that he was out of the hole, and Mickelson picked up his ball. Because the one-hole adjustment already had been assessed, Mickelson should have been able to finish the hole. He was in the fairway just over 290 yards from the hole, which he could have reached with a good shot.

But he never got that chance. Day made birdie and won the hole, so the International team went 2 up heading to the eighth hole.

Steve DiMeglio explains the committee's effort to remedy its error.

Although the Match Committee realized that it incorrectly advised Mickelson, under Decision 34-2/6 of the Rules of Golf, the committee is not allowed to have Mickelson go back and play in an attempt to correct the error. According to a statement released by the committee, "Once any player in the match plays a subsequent stroke allowing a correction could potentially undermine the strategy already employed by both sides in the match in completing the hole."

Here is the committee decision released to the media, tweeted by Ferguson:

Sean Martin covers the other key match moments for Mickelson-Johnson v. Day-Scott, which was halved.

The post round interview with Phil and Zach, along with Todd Lewis's thoughts on Golf Central.

All of this added up to some much needed controversy, as Rex Hoggard notes, but it did not create any new tension between the teams.

Maybe Phil Mickelson's post round comments will:

The Donald Taking His Windfarm Fight To UK's Supreme Court

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You have to give the man credit, he's determined!

As I've written a few times, he is right that giant windmills off the coast of Trump International will spoil views, but fascinatingly, the Scottish people don't agree because jobs are at stake.

The Guardian's Owen Bowcott reports on the latest legal saga in Scotland for Donald Trump.

The New York tycoon, who declared he was prepared to spend $1bn (£650m) to advance his political ambitions, has sufficient resources to bankroll another round of protracted, private litigation. He has already threatened to take his lawsuit to European courts if he loses in the supreme court.

Trump, 69, whose mother was Scottish, did not appear in person at the supreme court in Westminster on Thursday.

U.S. Mid-Am Final Match Highlighted by Schmitz's Par-4 Ace

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There's a Chris Keane photo of U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion Sammy Schmitz holding up the ball, but so far no video has surfaced of the incredible and historic hole-in-one that all but iced the 2015 final match against Marc Dull. There is, however a Ron Driscoll story on Schmitz's family and friends pulling an all-nighter to be there for the final, so at least they saw the epic 260-yard shot.

Hopefully, the USGA's broadcast partner Fox, who was there taping, will have something on Fox Sports Live later tonight? Nothing yet on the USGA YouTube page either.

Anyway, sounds like it was a compelling match based on the down-the-stretch battle, described here by Golf News Net using match tweets. Schmitz won 3&2 and with it, a Masters berth.

Nick Faldo: Another Tiger Major Win Unlikely

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While the sentiment is probably accurate, I'm still not ready to write off Tiger Woods and am a little surprised Nick Faldo is.

But he is!

Ray Slover with the quote from the six-time major winner Faldo.

Tiger Woods' future in professional golf has reached a crossroads with his latest back surgery. Count Nick Faldo among observers who doubt Woods can return to being dominant.

"It's really, really unlikely he could win another major," Faldo told OmniSport.

Woods hopes to return to PGA competition in 2016 following Sept. 16's surgery. He last played at mid-August's Wyndham Championship, showing flashes of gret play while leading early in the tournament.

A checkup after that tournament found Woods needed further surgery in the area doctors operated in March 2014.

ABC Gets Back In The Golf Business With LPGA Finale

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I'm hoping the Love Unlimited Orchestra's "Love Theme" is employed at some point to highlight ABC--ABC!--carrying the final round of the LPGA Tour's CME Group Tour Championship on November 22nd. Golf Channel will carry the first three days.

Granted, it's the ESPN golf team, but this is an encouraging sign for golf that a solid broadcast team is going to get a few more reps even as the worldwide leader cuts costs to please parent company Disney. With ABC not carrying the NFL or MLB, could the network that was so pivotal in cultivating golf on TV be an outlet for more LPGA or PGA Tour events down the road?

From an LPGA Tour release:

Tom Rinaldi will call the play on ABC’s telecast, joined by the team that called the RICOH Women’s British Open Championship on ESPN: Dottie Pepper, Judy Rankin, Andy North and Billy Kratzert, led by coordinating producer Mike McQuade - will cover the final round for ABC. The first three rounds will be broadcast on Golf Channel, with ESPN producing the telecasts.