Phil Mickelson is celebrating his 48th birthday today, but the multiple Major champion had a real lapse of concentration in his third round at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, as having missed a putt, the man dubbed 'Lefty' chased his moving golf ball across the green and hit it before the ball had finished rolling, which subsequently saw him handed a two-shot penalty, and he recorded a ten on the par-4 13th hole.
Having failed to find his form on Thursday, where he recorded a round of 77, Mickelson's woes continued in his third round as he struggled to gain any consistency around a golf course that was testing the players to the max, but it's staggering to see what happened on the 13th green, as he broke one of the golden rules in golf to not hit a moving ball.
Often regarded as one of the best putters in world golf, Mickelson stroked his putt just past the right-hand side of the hole, but as it rolled down the hill, and further and further away from the hole, Mickelson propelled into a canter, and chased his ball, but with everyone expecting the Ryder Cup star to wait for the ball to stop he elected to hit the ball, which was still in motion, back towards the hole, and he missed again.
Having eventually putted the ball, he was adjudged to have made his misdemeanour and was handed a two-shot penalty, and he recorded a ten on the 13th hole, which saw him drop to +15.
Watch Phil Mickelson's shock putt here:
