Scott McCarron Attempts To Clarify: "I Never Called Phil Mickelson a Cheater"

In the greatest dissection of the English language since Bill Clinton lectured us on the numerous meanings of the word “is,” golfer Scott McCarron, who accused Phil Mickelson of being a cheater this weekend, dropped this verbal nugget on the golfing world in a statement on Monday:

“I responded, ‘It’s cheating and I am appalled Phil has put it in play.’ I never called Phil Mickelson a cheater. That being said, I want my fans, sponsors, and most importantly, my fellow players, to know that I will not be silenced and I will continue my efforts to get the groove issue resolved.”

You see, Mickelson was using a LEGAL wedge that has square grooves on it which adds more spin to the ball. These newer types of wedges are banned by the PGA, but the kind Mickelson was using is a pre-1990 design that was legally grandfathered in due to a lawsuit that Ping settled with the PGA.

McCarron feels that the use of these clubs violates the spirit of the game and took issue with Mickelson’s use of the club.

So why McCarron chose to whine and complain about Lefty using this club instead of just using them himself—if they are indeed better clubs—is beyond me. Maybe he has a sponsorship deal with another company and this is just sour grapes.

The real issue I take is with the “cheating/cheater” comment. By McCarron’s rationale:

•LeBron James is playing basketball, but he is not a basketball player.

•Mark McGwire was abusing steroids, but he was not a steroid abuser.

•Peyton Manning is quarterbacking the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, but he is not the Colts’ Super Bowl quarterback.

I give credit to McCarron for trying to clarify what he said, but sometimes when you backpedal too fast, you fall flat on your back.