You can't make this stuff up. PGA pro Phil Mickelson withdrew from the Memorial Tournament in Ohio over the weekend, citing "mental fatigue". Really, what pushed him over the edge were cell phones.
Mickelson said, and according to ESPN, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler backed him up, that cell phones were the issue. Rather, there were too many fans taking pictures of him with their mobile devices, causing too much of a distraction.
Okay. Here is the ironic part of the story. Mickelson reportedly texted the PGA commissioner about the problem. From his cell phone. While on the golf course.
The PGA currently allows fans to bring their cell phones to the course as long as it is in vibrate mode. ESPN reported the course managers took about 50 cell phones from fans during the tournament for breaking the rules.
So now it seems the PGA has a decision to make: do they tell players to get with the times and learn to deal with the distractions? Or do they ban cell phones altogether in the gallery "for the good of the game".
Ah, decisions, decisions.
Now, to be fair, it wasn't just the cell phones that forced Mickelson to bow out of the tournament. Jim McCabe, from Golfweek, pointed out he had a hectic schedule that included four tournaments in five weeks and a 40th birthday trip with his wife. Add all that to the fact that he hit just four fairways and five greens in Thursday's opening round, and, well....
So now Lefty can go relax for a while and prepare for the next big tournament: the U.S. Open.
What do you think? Did Phil take on too much? Are cell phones to blame? Should they be banned from the gallery? Weigh in by voting in our reader poll above, and by commenting below.
Phil Mickelson withdrew from the Memorial Tournament citing "mental fatigue".
