Flashpoints of 2018: Phil Mickelson breaks the rules at the US Open

Continuing our series on controversies that defined the year, the one-time fans’ darling causes outrage in the HamptonsNo sport links indignation and triviality to a greater degree than golf. A matter of millimetres – even accidental millimetres – can determine a player’s reputation. Cheating on the greens is considered a serious sin. It is almost as if golf sees itself operating within its own, illustrious moral code.Phil Mickelson has never been one of his sport’s