So, Phil Mickelson is probably not going to be able to play any tournaments for the next three weeks in preparation for next month’s British Open because of the injury to his wrist that he injured while hitting out of the absurdly dense rough at Oakmont Country Club for last weekend’s U.S. Open. Lawrence Donegan sums up how the the United States Golf Association can even screw up a nice story such as Angel Cabrera winning the U.S. Open:

But in the midst of a spirit-lifting triumph for the underdog there was also something of a travesty for the game itself as once again the organisers of this historic tournament laid out a course that bordered on farce. It takes some doing to engender sympathy for golf’s pampered millionaires but the USGA somehow managed to do exactly that.

In my view, the U.S. Open is easily the least enjoyable of all of the major golf tournaments and frankly not as much fun to watch as The Players or any number of mid-major tournaments. Perhaps having a few of the top players elect not to play in the U.S. Open because of injury risk might be what it takes to get through to the U.S.G.A. Their obsession with tricking up golf courses already elevates luck over skill in determining a champion. Now, it has become downright dangerous for the participants. And for those who think that a wrist injury is not all that serious for a professional golfer, remember what such an injury did to the once-bright playing career of former University of Houston golfer and two-time NCAA champion Billy Ray Brown.