Phil Mickelson says blaming new slow play target is 'idiotic'
Phil Mickelson has spoken out and come to the defence of the latest slow play culprit.
Slow play is the most talked about subject in golf right now and fans, players and commentators have called for golf's governing bodies to do something to solve the issue.
The topic of slow play was already being thrown around enough and then last week at The Northern Trust, Bryson DeChambeau was on the receiving end of an online onslaught of negative comments, after he took nearly three minutes to take a 70 yard wedge shot and a similar time over a ten-foot putt.
DeChambeau defended himself at first and said that he felt "attacked" after receiving thousands of comments on Twitter and other social media platforms.
He has since made a statement where he promised to work on his pace of play and that he plans on helping the PGA Tour to combat the issue, but insisted the problem doesn't lie solely on himself.
It seems lately a new culprit is to blame for slow play, in the way of green books. Fans and golfers alike have taken to Twitter to display their feelings towards the need for green books, saying that the game would be much faster if golfers just read the greens themselves and not waste time flicking through the pages in their pockets.
Rickie Fowler's caddie, Joe Skovron, was defending the need for green books on Twitter, where he then had support from Phil Mickelson, who clearly felt that blaming green books was ludicrous.
“The greens book allows me to do 80 percent of my read before I even get to the green. For anyone to say they slow up play is flat out idiotic,” Mickelson tweeted.
The greens book allows me to do 80% of my read before I even get to the green. For anyone to say they slow up play is flat out idiotic.
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 13, 2019
Mickelson wasn't finished, he added another tweet that said: “Let me add the countless hours and many days it saves me preparing for tournaments throughout the year. The book gives me info on where I can/can’t miss it and still get up and down as well as best approach shot into the green without having to play multiple practice rounds.”
Let me add the countless hours and many days it saves me preparing for tournaments throughout the year. The book gives me info on where I can/can’t miss it and still get up and down as well as best approach shot into the green without having to play multiple practice rounds.
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 13, 2019
A lot of fans seemed to agree with what Mickelson was saying and so did Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter. Although a former world No.1 felt differently and took Mickelson's term of 'idiotic' a little personally.
“I guess I’m an idiot then,” Donald tweeted. “One thing I don’t understand here is for a greens book to be effective you have to know exactly where your ball is on the green relative to the hole – how can you have done 80% of your read then before you’ve even got to the green??”
Guess I’m an idiot then
One thing I don’t understand here is for a greens book to be effective you have to know exactly where your ball is on the green relative to the hole - how can you have done 80% of your read then before you’ve even got to the green?? #banthemisay https://t.co/aVcz3ICMlK— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) August 13, 2019
