Phil Mickelson says moving ball putt was intentional

Phil Mickelson said after his turbulent day at the U.S. Open that what seemed to be a remarkable mental gaffe was not a gaffe at all.

Mickelson putted a moving ball on the 13th hole Saturday, which resulted in a two-stroke penalty and much controversy. He claimed after his round was over, however, that he knew exactly what he was doing, had no desire to play the shot over, and has considered doing it before.

Phil: "Look, I don't mean disrespect, I know it's a two-shot penalty. At that time, I didn't feel like going back and forth and playing that shot over…I've had multiple times I was thinking about doing that, and this time I finally did."

— Daniel Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) June 16, 2018

Naturally, Mickelson faced criticism for his actions even before he said his actions were intentional. That admission will only make the situation more controversial.