Seems like a dumb move regardless of the DQ risk. He ended up with 10 on the hole. Even if the ball goes off the green he probably would have been better off.

Clearly he intentionally broke the rules and that should never be looked at as a good thing from the perspective of sportsmanship. However, given the circumstances, it also clearly wasn’t to gain a competitive advantage.

    I saw the interview with the USGA after the rounds were over. Said it was never a consideration to DQ him but it was within the rules to do so.

    Phil was out of it by then...has a great rep...a fun moment.

    2 strokes enough.

    He should just wear some Loudmouth pants tomorrow,what's he got to lose!

    I wouldn’t have made the decision to dq him, but It’s probably not fair from a payout perspective for any players that finish below him that he gets to continue play.

    His action on the course was reactionary....his comments calculated.

    9/10 on the BS meter.

    So much for straight shooting Phil.

    The USGA knew they screwed up and would catch flak to DQ Phil. That would mean zip to Phil, except he would now have support vs criticism, AND the public and players reaction would be nuclear against the USGA over a DQ.

    Calculated response by Phil and the USGA.

    It was clearly calculated. He could've declared his next shot unplayable, gone back to the original spot where he last putted from, simply assumed a 1-shot penalty, and would've had a club-length to putt his next attempt.

    He was clearly frustrated and wanted to make a statement to the USGA.

    They weren't on the clock, they weren't holding up play. Phil wasn't happy with the setup, and although he has a lot of players who would support that opinion - he overstepped the line of integrity and the spirit of the game with his actions.

    Had this been Pat Perez, he would've been DQ'd.

    I love Phil, he's done far more good for the game than bad, but this wasn't one of his finer moments.

    Phil's explanation supports a DQ, since he admitted trying to gain an advantage. But I think his explanation was BS, so the 2-stroke penalty was ultimately the right decision.

    Did they DQ Daly when he did the same thing at the us open at Pinehurst? I honestly can't remember.

      rsvman I don’t remember either. I heard someone say he got a 2 stroke penalty a little while ago. I know he withdrew in disgust at one US Open, but don’t remember if it’s the same one he whacked the moving ball.

        rsvman

        No, they assessed a 2-shot penalty. And that’s probably why Phil wasn’t DQ’d, despite him saying after the fact that he was trying to use the rules to his advantage.

        Whether that is a breach of the spirit of the rules/competition is obviously a different debate altogether.

        I think we all agree that this wasn’t one of his finer moments. Especially considering how he’s conducted himself in the past. Maybe they felt he’s earned a little leeway with how he’s represented himself and the tour throughout his career.

        I wouldn’t be surprised though if he DQ’s himself and doesn’t play tomorrow in the final round.

        He’s undoubtedly already regretting what he did.

        What a stupid am I part 2!

          2 stroke is weak. He should WD and crawl in a hole. I heard about it, and when I saw it, was embarrassed. The other guys dealt with the same greens all tournament long! Lexi gets a 2 stroke for BS and Dustin gets a 2 stroke for BS and Phil gets a 2 stroke for intentionally cheating. LOL, I agree, no big deal.... Phuck I'm Good Just Ask Me!

            mikeintopeka

            Yea, had he said he just momentarily lost it, he'd be the hero of the people who think the course was too tricked up to be fair,including me. Trying to somehow suggest he was being smart was just an awful idea.

              I struggle with this, I know it was out of frustration and rightfully so. I think the statement was made to force the USGA to deal with more drama. I don’t think they can DQ him and he knows it, which is why I like what he said. He’s said all along they are useless and now he’s proving his point, they can’t get anything right. It’s going to cost his a lot of money to do it, but he’s doing it.

              The right thing for the USGA to do is say, we know he was using the rules, but not in the spirit of the game, he is disqualified. The thing for Phil to do, is withdraw, but if I were in his shoes, I might just play it out and hit as many redonkuless shots as I possibly could to illustrate what a mess they made of the course.

                ode
                I don't think he intentionally cheated. He didn't want to own up to a John Daly moment so he tried to spin it as calculated to portray himself as "smart." Because Fook I'm Good, Just Ask Me! LOL. Just made it worse, IMO.

                    MidwayJ well, he intentionally hit a moving ball😉. Post round would have been a perfect opportunity to use his proven sharp tongue, instead we get his poor example of sportsmanship and his figjam spin to illustrate a point. I don't think it hurts his image much because the usga is the bigger villain here. But it was still chicken sh1t by Figjam!

                      johnnydoom However, given the circumstances, it also clearly wasn’t to gain a competitive advantage

                      I applaud Phil for his stance on pace of play.