Phil Mickelson gives his verdict on the drop J.J. Spaun took during the final round of The Players Championship

Add as preferred source on Google

J.J. Spaun is going head to head with Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship as the duo play out a three-hole playoff to decide the winner.

Spaun managed to keep his cool and finish level with McIlroy and they’ll now play against each other down 16, 17 and 18 to determine the 2025 champion.

The American is looking for just his second win on the PGA Tour while McIlroy is seeking to become a double Players champion.

However, should Spaun be the one to get the win, he might well be looked back upon as being a tad lucky due to the shenanigans of his final round.

• READ MORE: Scottie Scheffler rates his own golf game and says how close he is to his best after disappointing finish at The Players Championship

Spaun took a controversial drop on a sprinkler head – twice – to set himself up the fairway and go ahead and make a crucial par.

Golf fans slammed the ruling, although PGA Tour player Michael Kim admitted he’d have done the same.

Now, over on social media, Phil Mickelson has chipped in with his verdict as well.

Phil Mickelson reacts to J.J. Spaun’s controversial drop at The Players

A wiley old fox like Phil Mickelson will know all the nuances of the game and the rules involved and his response to Spaun’s effort here is not surprising.

Taking to X, Mickelson posted his own view on the matter and he’s right in Michael Kim’s camp of agreeing that the rules are there to be used to your own advantage.

• READ MORE: Paul McGinley picks the one part of Rory McIlroy’s game which is better than it’s ever been before after watching him at the Players Championship

What the R&A rules say about taking relief on the PGA Tour

As Mickelson and Kim both point out, Spaun has simply used the ruling to take advantage for himself and it just so happens there were two sprinkler heads in close proximity.

The rules around relief can be a touch complex but in the main, the R&A’s rules do indeed allow for what Spaun did.

According to the R&A’s official website, Rule 16 covers off all scenarios.

Purpose of Rule: Rule 16 covers when and how the player may take free relief by playing a ball from a different place, such as when there is interference by an abnormal course condition or a dangerous animal condition.

• These conditions are not treated as part of the challenge of playing the course, and free relief is generally allowed except in a penalty area.
• The player normally takes relief by dropping a ball in a relief area based on the nearest point of complete relief.

This Rule also covers free relief when a player’s ball is embedded in its own pitch-mark in the general area.

Cirticially, section 1a of that ruling allows for the following:

“An abnormal course condition physically interferes with the player’s area of intended stance or area of intended swing,”

Likewise, section 1b of the ruling also states what Spaun did was not foul play.

• Size of Relief Area Measured from Reference Point: One club-length, but with these limits:
• Limits on Location of Relief Area:
  • Must be in the general area,
  • Must not be nearer the hole than the reference point, and
  • There must be complete relief from all interference by the abnormal course condition.

Still, if he does win, this will be looked back on as a key moment but while fans are unhappy, it seems the players playing the game fully understand the actions.