Phil Mickelson reiterated Monday night that he is sorry for his actions on Saturday of the U.S. Open. He also hopes that there will come a time when everyone will be able to laugh about it.

“It wasn’t the right decision,” Mickelson said while speaking on Golf Channel’s Golf Central. “It wasn’t the smart decision. The Rules of Golf actually address that for next year, so I don’t think anybody will be looking at it as a smart play. But at the time I really didn’t care about the stroke difference.”

Mickelson was penalized two shots for hitting a moving ball on the 13th green during his third-round 81 at Shinnecock Hills. He spoke with reporters after the round and admitted to purposely hitting his ball to avoid having it run off the front of the green.

“I’ve had multiple times when I’ve wanted to do that, and I finally did,” said Mickelson, who was not disqualified by the USGA yet received heavy criticism from some who believed he should’ve been disqualified – or done it himself.

Mickelson, who actually offered to withdraw. ended up finishing off his championship with a final-round 69 to end up T-48.

He released an apology four days later, saying: “I know this should’ve come sooner, but it’s taken me a few days to calm down. My anger and frustration got the best of me last weekend. I’m embarrassed and disappointed by my actions. It was clearly not my finest moment and I’m sorry.”

Asked why it took him so long to apologize, Mickelson said he needed some time to clear his head.

“It took a little while for my anger and frustration to subside enough to where I could see clearly that I made not my best move,” Mickelson said. “It wasn’t my best moment. And so I apologized. Now, moving forward, the best thing I can do is to start promoting the game again in a positive way.”

Mickelson was at Soldier Field in Chicago on Monday to help promote this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Mickelson took part in a skills challenge for kids and spent time afterwards signing autographs and taking pictures.

Lefty throwing straight #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/DrFLiGW3rG

— KPMG Mickelson (@MickelsonHat) June 25, 2018

He is expected to tee it up next at the Greenbrier Classic next week in West Virginia. He’ll likely field more questions about what happened at the U.S. Open – and he expects to.

“I have pretty thick skin and I’m aware that I’ll probably hear about this for some time,” Mickelson said. ‘Fortunately, I can take it, and I hope at some point we’ll all be able to laugh about it.”

Phil Mickelson reiterated Monday night that he is sorry for his actions on Saturday of the U.S. Open. He also hopes that there will come a time when everyone will be able to laugh about it.

“It wasn’t the right decision,” Mickelson said while speaking on Golf Channel’s Golf Central. “It wasn’t the smart decision. The Rules of Golf actually address that for next year, so I don’t think anybody will be looking at it as a smart play. But at the time I really didn’t care about the stroke difference.”

Mickelson was penalized two shots for hitting a moving ball on the 13th green during his third-round 81 at Shinnecock Hills. He spoke with reporters after the round and admitted to purposely hitting his ball to avoid having it run off the front of the green.

“I’ve had multiple times when I’ve wanted to do that, and I finally did,” said Mickelson, who was not disqualified by the USGA yet received heavy criticism from some who believed he should’ve been disqualified – or done it himself.

Mickelson, who actually offered to withdraw. ended up finishing off his championship with a final-round 69 to end up T-48.

He released an apology four days later, saying: “I know this should’ve come sooner, but it’s taken me a few days to calm down. My anger and frustration got the best of me last weekend. I’m embarrassed and disappointed by my actions. It was clearly not my finest moment and I’m sorry.”

Asked why it took him so long to apologize, Mickelson said he needed some time to clear his head.

“It took a little while for my anger and frustration to subside enough to where I could see clearly that I made not my best move,” Mickelson said. “It wasn’t my best moment. And so I apologized. Now, moving forward, the best thing I can do is to start promoting the game again in a positive way.”

Mickelson was at Soldier Field in Chicago on Monday to help promote this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Mickelson took part in a skills challenge for kids and spent time afterwards signing autographs and taking pictures.

Lefty throwing straight #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/DrFLiGW3rG

— KPMG Mickelson (@MickelsonHat) June 25, 2018

He is expected to tee it up next at the Greenbrier Classic next week in West Virginia. He’ll likely field more questions about what happened at the U.S. Open – and he expects to.

“I have pretty thick skin and I’m aware that I’ll probably hear about this for some time,” Mickelson said. ‘Fortunately, I can take it, and I hope at some point we’ll all be able to laugh about it.”

Not sure if you’ve noticed or not, but players on the PGA Tour are absolutely mashing tee shots these days.

Need proof of that? Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson aren’t even in the top five for driving distance.

Who is? Let’s break down the top 10 this season and find out.

10. Dustin Johnson – 310.8 yards

Seeing DJ in the 10th spot just shows you that guys on the PGA Tour are crushing drives, because when you think about distance off the tee, his name usually is the one that comes to mind. He’s 150th in driving accuracy, hitting 58.08 percent of fairways.

Rory McIlroy was the star attraction Monday at the CVS Charity Classic in Barrington, R.I.

But the day belonged to New England native Keegan Bradley, who rolled in a 12-foot birdie on the 18th hole to lift himself and teammates Brooke Henderson and Rhode Islander Billy Andrade to victory.

Bradley’s team finished 15-under par and edged out Lexi Thompson, Xander Schauffele and Joe Durant by a shot.

MclIroy’s presence helped the event – which has raised more than $21 million for its various charities since 1999 – draw its largest crowd in several years. His team, which included Brad Faxon and So Yeon Ryu, finished sixth at -8.

.@McIlroyRory talking with our @plittletvguy pic.twitter.com/DTZIapoac1

— Yianni Kourakis (@YianniKourakis) June 25, 2018

Bradley, a native of Hopkinton, Mass., has been on the winning team of this one-day event four years running.

“Growing up in New England this is always a tournament that I would come to and just love,” Bradley told the Providence (R.I.) Journal. “To just be in invited by Billy and Brad (Faxon) is awesome but winning is fun.”

Rory McIlroy was the star attraction Monday at the CVS Charity Classic in Barrington, R.I.

But the day belonged to New England native Keegan Bradley, who rolled in a 12-foot birdie on the 18th hole to lift himself and teammates Brooke Henderson and Rhode Islander Billy Andrade to victory.

Bradley’s team finished 15-under par and edged out Lexi Thompson, Xander Schauffele and Joe Durant by a shot.

MclIroy’s presence helped the event – which has raised more than $21 million for its various charities since 1999 – draw its largest crowd in several years. His team, which included Brad Faxon and So Yeon Ryu, finished sixth at -8.

.@McIlroyRory talking with our @plittletvguy pic.twitter.com/DTZIapoac1

— Yianni Kourakis (@YianniKourakis) June 25, 2018

Bradley, a native of Hopkinton, Mass., has been on the winning team of this one-day event four years running.

“Growing up in New England this is always a tournament that I would come to and just love,” Bradley told the Providence (R.I.) Journal. “To just be in invited by Billy and Brad (Faxon) is awesome but winning is fun.”

There’s a lot of money to be made in professional golf. Case in point: Our list starts at No. 18 – who has more than $37 million in career winnings.

With that in mind, let’s look at the top money earners of all-time (as measured by on-course winnings).

18. Jordan Spieth, $37,304,930

We start with the first surprise on this list because it feels like Spieth should be higher. He has 11 wins on the PGA Tour (14 professional wins overall), three majors, and has been the No. 1 player in the world a few times. But Spieth is only 24 years old (crazy, right?) so he should have no problem climbing this list.

TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm will host the Quicken Loans National for the second straight year – and final year for the time being – as its welcomes Tigers Woods, Rickie Fowler and more to Potomac, Md., this week.

After hosting a PGA Tour event in 1987-2004 and again in 2006, TPC Potomac underwent major renovations after that. It hosted the Web.com Tour in 2012 and ’13, before debuting as The National host last season.

Last year’s winner, Kyle Stanley, led the field in strokes gained tee-to-green and greens in regulation, and was also fourth in strokes gained approach-the-green and sixth in approach-shot proximity to the hole. He ranked 52nd in strokes gained putting and 32nd in strokes gained around-the-green.

Those numbers are in line with what is typically expected at TPC Potomac, which requires precision from tee to green. Some stats to look at this week: strokes gained tee-to-green (SGTTG), strokes gained approach-the-green (SGATG), greens in regulation, proximity to hole and par-4 scoring, as TPC Potomac is a par-70o layout with 12 par 4s.

Here is a look at my top 20 fantasy options:

1. Rickie Fowler: Has put together five top-25s in last six events. Tied for third last year at TPC Potomac after shooting 68-65 on the weekend. Ranks T-5 in par-4 scoring, 21st in GIR, 31st in SGTTG and T-34 in proximity.

2. Tiger Woods: Has won The National twice but didn’t play last year. Coming off MC at U.S. Open, but was T-23 at Memorial and T-11 at Players before that. Ranks fifth in SGTTG, including fourth in SGATG. Also is 29th in proximity.

3. Kyle Stanley: Defending champ closed in 67-66 last year before prevailing in a playoff. Recently lost in a playoff at Memorial and was T-15 last week at Travelers. Ranks third in GIR, T-17 in par-4 scoring and 38th in proximity.

4. Charles Howell III: Opened last year’s National in 71 before going 69-67-66 to finish second, losing in a playoff. Enters this week having finished T-26 or better in five of last six starts. Ranks 27th in GIR and 35th in SGTTG.

5. J.B. Holmes: T-68 here last year, but has gone T-13, third and T-2 in his last three worldwide starts. Ranks 28th in SGTTG.

6. Kevin Na: T-22 last year at The National and enters this week with three top-6s in his last four worldwide starts. Ranks 36th in SGATG.

7. Marc Leishman: Fired bookend 66s last year to tie for fifth at TPC Potomac. However, he hasn’t finished better than T-45 in three starts since Nelson runner-up. Ranks T-17 in par-4 scoring and 38th in SGATG.

8. Kevin Streelman: Tied for 17th at last year’s National. Enters this week with nothing better than T-33 in his last five starts, though. Ranks 25th in SGTTG, including 26th in SGATG after a strong week with the irons at Travelers. Also is fifth in GIR, T-9 in par-4 scoring and T-24 in proximity.

9. Gary Woodland: Has gone T-23 (Memorial) and T-36 (U.S. Open) since missing four of five cuts. Making first appearance at TPC Potomac. Ranks T-6 in GIR and 33rd in SGTTG.

10. Jimmy Walker: MC last year at The National, but has five top-20s, including three top-6s, in last six Tour starts. Ranks 25th in SGATG.

11. Francesco Molinari: Makes first trip to TPC Potomac, but is coming off a win, second and T-25 in his last three starts. Ranks 16th in SGTTG, but T-190 in proximity.

12. Chesson Hadley: Has missed two straight cuts, but still has six top-20s in his last nine starts. Ranks eighth in proximity, T-17 in par-4 scoring and 30th in SGTTG, including fifth in SGATG.

13. Bill Haas: Won this event at Congressional in 2013, but also showed he can play well at TPC Potomac, finishing T-13 last year. Coming off MC at Travelers and he doesn’t have a top-10 since RBC Heritage.

14. Beau Hossler: Has climbed to 64th in world rankings after T-2 finish at Travelers. Ranks T-17 in par-4 scoring, but also is 178th in SGATG.

15. Ben An: Third-round 66 highlighted T-29 finish last year at TPC Potomac. Followed T-2 at Memorial with MC in Memphis, 67th at U.S. Open. Ranks 18th in SGTTG, including 34th in SGATG.

16. Stewart Cink: Hasn’t seen the new-look TPC Potomac, but he is riding a hot streak that includes T-4 in Memphis and T-2 at Travelers. Ranks T-9 in proximity.

17. David Lingmerth: Opened with consecutive 65s en route to a T-5 finish at last year’s National. Also won the Web.com Tour event here in 2012. Does rank 164th in SGTTG and his T-19 at Travelers was his best finish since T-17 at RSM Classic last fall.

18. J.J. Spaun: MC last year at The National, but looked good early at Travelers before T-47 finish. Ranks 16th in SGATG, T-19 in GIR and T-22 in proximity.

19. Billy Horschel: Finished T-26 at last year’s National, but also hasn’t cracked top 20 in five starts.

20. Joaquin Niemann: Has had time to rest after MC in Memphis. Two consecutive top-10s before that. Should thrive on this ballstriker’s course.

Dustin Johnson remains the betting favorite for the golf’s next major championship, according to the latest odds posted by Westgate LV SuperBook manager Jeff Sherman and golfodds.com.

Johnson is holding at 12-1 to win the British Open, while Rory McIlroy remains at 14-1. Defending Open champion Jordan Spieth has slipped to 16-1 and shares those same odds with Justin Rose, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler.

Back-to-back U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka (20-1) and Tiger Woods (25-1) held their positions this week.

Bubba Watson, who has won three times this season on the PGA Tour including this past week at the Travelers Championship, is 60-1.

The 147th Open Championship will be held at Carnoustie, Scotland, starting on July 19.

Here are the latest odds:

Dustin Johnson	12-1
Rory McIlroy	14-1
Jordan Spieth	16-1
Rickie Fowler	16-1
Justin Thomas	16-1
Justin Rose	16-1
Tommy Fleetwood	18-1
Brooks Koepka	20-1
John Rahm	20-1
Jason Day	25-1
Henrik Stenson	25-1
Tiger Woods	25-1
Sergio Garcia	30-1
Hideki Matsuyama	30-1
Patrick Reed	30-1
Paul Casey	30-1
Marc Leishman	40-1
Phil Mickelson	40-1
Alex Noren	40-1
Branden Grace	40-1

You may recall that it was only six months ago that we could only envision the lobbying effort behind the scenes as the PGA Tour and PGA of America battled successfully to preserve their tax-exempt status.

Many took pleasure in pretty conservative organizations begging a Republican Congress and Republican president to not inflict great financial damage on their operations.

Yet already, the effort to end 501(c)(6) tax-exempt status is back with this bill.

Senators Ernst and King Seek to Withdraw Tax-Exempt Status from Professional Sports Leagues

PRO Sports Act would give $100 million back to taxpayers

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Angus King (I-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation, the Properly Reducing Overexemptions for Sports (PRO Sports) Act, to strip multi-million dollar professional sports leagues of their tax-exempt status, saving roughly $100 million in taxpayer dollars over 10 years.

“Professional sports leagues – which are raking in millions of dollars from television rights and membership dues – shouldn’t also be scoring a hole-in-one with their taxes,” said Senator Ernst. “The PRO Sports Act amends the tax code to revoke this unnecessary exemption, saving approximately $100 million in taxpayer dollars over 10 years. Senator King and I are cutting this wasteful spending and protecting taxpayer dollars.”

The PRO Sports Act would revoke the 501(c)(6), tax-exempt status of professional sports leagues with over $10 million in gross receipts. While some leagues have voluntarily ended their tax-exempt status in recent years, others continue to use this loophole while bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

“Sports leagues like the NHL and the PGA Tour provide entertainment for millions of Americans, but that doesn’t mean these league-specific brands should be able to utilize Section 501(c)(6) of the tax code to be tax exempt,” said Senator King. “This bill would help close loopholes that allow leagues to boost their profits at the expense of taxpayers – it’s just common sense.”

The $100 million it proposes to save for taxpayers will undoubtedly buy the Space Force a few nice uniforms.

The U.S. Senior Open has lost another big name.

Five days after Steve Stricker withdrew from the June 28-July 1 senior major championship at The Broadmoor Golf Club’s East Course in Colorado Springs, Colo., John Daly has pulled out with a knee injury.

The USGA release didn’t specify which knee, but the withdrawal means Daly will not compete in his second U.S. Senior Open and he will be replaced by David McKenzie, 50, of Australia.

For his part, Daly said he asked the USGA to allow the use of a cart due to an ailing right knee but was denied.

Unfortunately— I had to WD from the US SENIOR OPEN. The deteriorating osteoarthritis isn’t helping my rt knee. I fall under the @ADANational but @USGA turned down a cart for me this week. Just going to give the knee a rest. Don’t know what’s ahead for me. https://t.co/Bna5maK13P

— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) June 25, 2018

McKenzie, the first alternate from the South Bend, Ind., sectional qualifying site, will be making his U.S. Senior Open debut. He has competed in 10 PGA Tour Champions tournaments this season, with his best finish a tie for third at the Rapiscan Systems Classic. McKenzie has also played in 42 PGA European Tour events during his career.

Daly, 52, won the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 Open Championship at St. Andrews in a playoff with Constantino Rocca. In 2017, he captured the PGA Tour Champions’ Insperity Invitational.