“No common sense!” – When John Daly backed Phil Mickelson’s ‘pathetic’ rant on USGA over a rule change

Phil Mickelson and John Daly played together on the PGA Tour for a long time before Mickelson chose to join the LIV Golf League. Although they were rivals on the field, there were moments when they supported each other off the golf course.

One such incident occurred when the USGA and R&A announced a new Model Local Rule in 2021 to limit club length, much to the dissatisfaction of Mickelson. The rule, named MLR G-10, stated that starting in 2022, professional and amateur event hosts would have the option to limit the golf club length to 46 inches.

The 45-time PGA Tour winner was one of the most vocal players against the proposed rule, as it was affecting his game. He had won the PGA Championship in 2021 with the help of a 47.9-inch driver and also claimed a title on the PGA Tour of Champions with the assistance of a shaft nearly 48 inches long.

Unhappy with the new proposed rule, the six-time major champion expressed himself on Twitter. He wrote:

"Word is USGA is soon rolling back driver length to 46inches.This is PATHETIC.1st it promotes a shorter more violent swing (injury prone,) doesn’t allow for length of arc to create speed,and during our 1st golf boom in 40 years,our amateur gov body keeps trying to make it less fun."

Daly was quick to support Mickelson, and he quoted and replied to the latter on Twitter. He wrote:

"I totally agree with you brother but why don’t they just change the cheapest thing made in golf……the #golfball #bringthegolfballback NO common sense!"

Nevertheless, the rule came into effect on January 1, 2022, but it wasn't made mandatory. Instead, it gave organizers the option to implement the rule according to their preferences.

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Phil Mickelson's upcoming schedule explored

The veteran golfer will next be seen competing at LIV Golf Chicago, the 12th event on the league's 2023 schedule. The Chicago event will take place from September 22 to September 24 at Rich Harvest Farms.

The Saudi-backed circuit professionals are currently on a break of more than a month, as the last event they played was LIV Golf Bedminster, which took place from August 11 to August 13. Cameron Smith secured his second title of the year at Trump National Bedminster after defeating Anirban Lahiri by a seven-stroke margin.

As for Mickelson, he achieved his first top-10 finish of the season at Bedminster, shooting 1-under over three days. His best performance this season came at the Masters Tournament, where he shot a 65 in the final round, becoming the oldest runner-up in the tournament's history.

The six-time major champion currently holds the 38th position in the year-long LIV Golf League standings. Smith is leading the leaderboard with 170 points in 11 events, while Talor Gooch is ranked second, trailing the Aussie by 21 points. Gooch has secured three LIV Golf titles this year.

Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, and Branden Grace occupy the remaining spots in the top 5 of the standings

As for the team standings, 4Aces GC is currently leading with 172 points, followed by Torque GC with 163 points and Stinger GC with 156 points. Crusher GC and Rangegoats GC are in fourth and fifth place, respectively.