Mickelson Won't Play Old Wedges This Week

Phil Mickelson said today that he's made his point: Close the loophole.

At a news conference today prior to the Northern Trust Open, Mickelson said that he won't use the old Ping Eye 2 wedges this week that are at the center of the groove-loophole storm. Despite being non-conforming under new groove rules, the old wedges remain legal for play due to long-ago legal agreements between the USGA and Ping and between the PGA Tour and Ping. Mickelson carried one of the old Ping Eye 2 wedges last week at the Farmers Insurance Open, something Tour veteran Scott McCarron called "cheating."

McCarron apologized to Mickelson this week for using the words "Phil Mickelson" and "cheating" in the same sentence. Mickelson isn't the only golfer who has used the old wedges, taking advantage of the loophole; John Daly was the highest-profile golfer to do so in the full-field season-opener, the Sony Open.

At his press conference Wednesday, Mickelson said:

"Out of respect for (fellow Tour players), I do not want to have an advantage over them, whether it's perceived or actual. So this week I won't be playing that wedge. My point's been made, I won't play it."

Mickelson slammed the USGA and PGA Tour for not working much earlier to close the Ping Eye 2 loophole. "You cannot put the players in the position to interpret what the rule means," Mickelson said. "This should have been decided well before this came out. It put me and it put all players in a bad spot and it needs to be changed."

And although Mickelson himself won't be playing the old Ping Eye 2s this week, he said he hopes other players do continue exploiting the loophole in order to keep pressure on the USGA and PGA Tour to work with Ping and find a way to close the loophole.

Earlier posts:

• Tour likely to try to ban old Ping Eye 2s
• McCarron not backing down on groove issue
• Mickelson ripped for using old wedge

Also see:

• Why old Ping Eye 2s remain legal for play