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Mickelson & Barkley Had Us Cracking up During The Match

On Friday afternoon it was Brooks Koepka vs. Bryson DeChambeau in Las Vegas, and a couple of hours after it started it was Koepka who walked away with an easy 5-and-3 win.
But the two other winners? Charles Barkley and Phil Mickelson. Sir Charles and Phil were stars of the broadcast, offering their quick analysis and even quicker wit. They added some much-needed energy to a match that lacked big-time shot-making or effortless player commentary. It also helped they could communicate directly with players through earpieces.
Luckily for you, we compiled the best Mickelson and Barkley moments of The Match. Check them out below.
‘I have no problem cheating; I’m not gonna lie’
You have to appreciate Barkley’s honesty here.
“I have no problem cheating, I’m not gonna lie” ?
Chuck admits he lies when playing golf#CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/Q9n2ieCelV— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 26, 2021
‘You can still hear me?’
In what should be a surprise to no one, Mickelson enjoyed talking, but on one hole he might have enjoyed it a little too much.
DeChambeau was in the green-side bunker on the 1st hole, and Mickelson was breaking down DeChambeau’s bunker game as DeChambeau stood over the ball. He took several practice swings, backed off and seemed to be taking his sweet time with the shot. Why? Because Mickelson wouldn’t stop talking.
“This is in a spot that’s really tough,” Mickelson said. “Even though it’s a slight uphill lie he has a chance, but because the green goes away it’s difficult with his wedges he has because all of his clubs are very upright, because it’s very hard to slide this club underneath and create a high shot. Where he’s really good are the basic shots, but the ones where he has to get really high and soft are more difficult. I think a really good shot for him would be six to eight feet feet past the hole—”
DeChambeau interrupted. “Just waiting on you, Phil.”
What’s harder than hitting a tricky bunker shot on live TV? Having Phil Mickelson analyze it and talk about why you might struggle immediately before you hit it.
“Oh, you can still hear me?” Mickelson said.
Luckily for Bryson, he got up and down for par and tied the hole.
‘You two are dangerous together’
Mickelson and DeChambeau are two of the game’s deep and technical thinkers, so they can get into some compelling conversations. On the 7th hole, Mickelson asked DeChambeau a question about his thought process and getting his mind right to play. Bryson, in a lengthy and thoughtful response, touched on frequency movement, brain waves and mindsets of supreme focus and clarity.
Barkley wasn’t following.
Bryson explaining frequency movement, brain waves and mindsets of supreme focus to Charles Barkley: pic.twitter.com/ejnGuUf6BY— Josh Berhow (@Josh_Berhow) November 26, 2021
“Yo man, I’m telling you, I gotta keep you two apart,” Barkley said. “You two are dangerous together. Seriously, what does all that mean? I’m being honest.”
DeChambeau explained further, and Barkley seemed to grasp it a litter better, saying….
‘That’s kinda like yoga’
Sure! A little like yoga. But here’s Barkley’s great explanation, transcribed by my co-worker Dylan Dethier:
Charles Barkley is a gift:
“That’s kinda like yoga. Yoga’s just stretching, they just call it yoga to charge you more.
“We’ve got that in the NBA, they call it analytics, the guy wants to get his son-in-law a job, they say ‘analytics,’ but analytics is nothing but statistics.”— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) November 26, 2021
‘I need that liquid lube’
Mickelson asked Barkley if he reads putts better or worse after a few visits to the beverage cart.
“I need that lube. I need that liquid lube,” Barkley said. “I have a couple cigars and have me a couple alcoholic beverages. Listen, you can’t play golf and not drink. It’s the only sport they let you drink while you are playing it. There’s a reason why: it’s the most unbeatable game in the world.”
(Weekend hackers nod head.)
‘Thank you, Nebraska’
Why could Barkley only donate $25,000 to charity if DeChambeau hit the fairway on the long-drive hole? Well, because Nebraska was up big and eventually lost 28-21 to Iowa.
Chuck was venting about losing Nebraska ML today ?? pic.twitter.com/5HO4KMirre— br_betting (@br_betting) November 26, 2021
He was kidding. We think.
“I wanna say one last thing,” Barkley said later in the broadcast, seconds before the production signed off. “Thank you, Nebraska.”
It dripped of sarcasm. OK, maybe he wasn’t kidding.
‘So, are we done?’
Kind of. That’s the question Barkley asked after DeChambeau conceded Koepka’s putt on the 9th, giving Brooks a 5-and-3 win with a couple of challenges, three holes and about an hour of air time remaining.
“So are we done?” Barkley asked as the players walked off the 9th green. “Oh, I was getting ready to tell them to crank up the plane so I can get to the Iron Bowl. I was gonna get out of here early y’all!”
Turns out Barkley had to stay as the players played on and raised lots of money for charity, but we’re guessing Sir Charles got to the Iron Bowl just fine.
‘I wanna be dead broke’
Barkley mentioned how lovely the view was at the par-3 18th finisher, and Mickelson asked if that was because you could see the casinos in the background.
“Listen, everybody knows I like to gamble,” Barkley said. “I wanna be dead broke when I keel over, Phil. I don’t want to leave all that money for my free-loading family. I’ve been taking care of them my whole life. I wanna be dead broke at my last breath.”
He was kidding. We think.
This article originally appeared on Golf.com.
Blog
Why Your Golf Balls Disappear (and It’s Not the Gophers)

Ah, the vanishing golf ball. A phenomenon as old as the game itself, and one that has baffled, frustrated, and occasionally driven golfers to the brink of madness for centuries. Most theories involve gophers, those furry, subterranean saboteurs with an insatiable appetite for Titleists. Or perhaps a particularly aggressive squirrel, or a flock of unusually organized crows. But I, Ty Webb, have delved deeper into this mystery, and I can assure you, the truth is far more profound, and far more amusing.
Consider, if you will, the golf ball itself. A small, dimpled sphere, designed for one purpose: to be struck with great force and sent hurtling through the air. A life of constant abuse, of being smacked, sliced, and occasionally submerged in murky ponds. Is it any wonder, then, that some of these brave little spheres simply decide they’ve had enough? They yearn for freedom, for a life beyond the confines of the fairway. They dream of rolling unencumbered through fields of wildflowers, or perhaps, for the more adventurous among them, a quiet retirement in the depths of a particularly challenging water hazard.
I’ve seen it happen, you know. A perfectly struck shot, soaring through the air, destined for glory. And then, poof. Gone. Not a trace. No splash, no rustle in the bushes, just an empty space where a golf ball once was. It’s not a gopher, my friends. It’s an escape. A liberation. That golf ball, in its infinite wisdom, has chosen a different path. It has decided that its destiny lies not in the bottom of a cup, but in the boundless expanse of the unknown.

And who are we to judge? We, who are so obsessed with control, with precision, with the rigid rules of the game. Perhaps the golf ball, in its spontaneous disappearance, is teaching us a valuable lesson about letting go. About embracing the unexpected. About the inherent futility of trying to dictate the trajectory of a small, white sphere that clearly has a mind of its own.
So, the next time your golf ball vanishes into thin air, don’t curse the gophers. Don’t blame your swing. Instead, offer a silent salute to that brave little sphere, wherever it may be. For it has achieved what many of us can only dream of: true freedom. And who knows, perhaps one day, it will return, laden with tales of its adventures, ready to impart some profound, dimpled wisdom upon us all.

When JJ Spaun stood over a 64-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, few could have predicted what would come next. The ball meandered across the slick green, trickling over every contour, picking up speed at the crest, and then—like it had GPS—dropped center cup. Spaun dropped his putter, raised his arms, and the crowd erupted. With that single stroke, he claimed his first major title in one of the most dramatic finishes in U.S. Open history.
But how does Spaun’s putt stack up against other legendary finishes in the tournament’s storied past? Let’s break down some of the most iconic moments and see where this one lands.
1. Payne Stewart – 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst
Perhaps the most iconic putt in U.S. Open history came from Payne Stewart, who nailed a 15-footer for par on the 18th to win by one over Phil Mickelson. The pose—fist pump and outstretched leg—has since been immortalized in a statue at Pinehurst. What made it legendary wasn’t just the putt—it was the context: Stewart’s final major before his tragic death just months later.
Verdict: Iconic and emotional. Spaun’s putt was longer, but Stewart’s was more poetic.
2. Tiger Woods – 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines
Woods drained a 12-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate—while basically playing on one leg. That tournament went to sudden death after an 18-hole playoff, and Tiger prevailed. This was peak Tiger drama, pain and all.
Verdict: Spaun’s putt was longer, but Tiger’s win was sheer willpower and mystique.
3. Jack Nicklaus – 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach
With a 1-iron shot that hit the flagstick on 17 and a crucial birdie putt on 18, Jack sealed a dominant win. His precision and timing under pressure showed why he’s the GOAT.
Verdict: Not a putt for the win, but a signature finishing statement from Jack. Spaun’s was more electric in terms of pure putter drama.
4. Ben Hogan – 1950 U.S. Open at Merion
Hogan’s 1-iron into the 18th fairway and the par to force a playoff—just 16 months after a near-fatal car crash—remain legendary. He won the playoff and completed one of golf’s great comeback stories.
Verdict: Larger-than-life comeback. Spaun’s putt had more flair, but Hogan’s win was heroic.
5. JJ Spaun – 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont
Let’s not underestimate what Spaun accomplished. The pressure was immense. He wasn’t the favorite. And on the most treacherous greens in golf, he buried a 64-foot bomb—a putt most players would be happy to lag to within 5 feet—to win the U.S. Open outright.
Verdict: For distance, surprise, and drama, Spaun’s putt may be the most shocking winning stroke in U.S. Open history.
Final Thoughts
JJ Spaun may not have the résumé of a Nicklaus or Woods, but for one Sunday afternoon in June 2025, he created a moment that will live in golf lore forever. Spaun’s putt was longer than Stewart’s, more unexpected than Tiger’s, and more dramatic than any final-hole finish in recent memory.
In terms of pure clutch putting? It might just be the greatest walk-off in U.S. Open history.
Blog
The Zen of the Shank: Finding Inner Peace in Your Worst Shots
Find your inner peace even when you aren’t playing well.

Ah, the shank. That glorious, unpredictable misfire that sends your pristine golf ball screaming sideways, often directly into the unsuspecting shins of your playing partner, or perhaps, with a touch of poetic irony, into the very lake you’ve been trying to avoid all day. Most golfers, bless their earnest little hearts, view the shank as a catastrophic failure, a blight upon their scorecard, a testament to their inherent lack of coordination. They curse, they throw clubs, they contemplate a career in competitive thumb-wrestling. But not I. No, my friends, for I, Ty Webb, have found enlightenment in the humble shank.
You see, the shank is not a mistake; it’s a revelation. It’s the universe’s way of reminding you that control is an illusion, that perfection is a myth, and that sometimes, the most direct path to your goal is, in fact, a wildly indirect one. Think of it as a philosophical detour, a sudden, unexpected journey into the unknown. One moment, you’re aiming for the green, a paragon of precision and intent. The next, your ball is ricocheting off a tree, narrowly missing a squirrel, and landing, by some divine comedic intervention, closer to the hole than your perfectly struck drive ever would have. Is that not a miracle? Is that not a sign that the golf gods, much like life itself, have a wicked sense of humor?
The key, my dear apprentices of the links, is acceptance. Embrace the shank. Welcome it with open arms, like a long-lost, slightly inebriated relative. When that familiar, sickening thwack echoes through the air, do not despair. Instead, take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Feel the gentle breeze on your face. And then, with a knowing smile, open them and observe the chaos you have wrought. Is it not beautiful in its own chaotic way? Is there not a certain freedom in relinquishing control, in allowing the ball to choose its own destiny, however bizarre that destiny may be?
Some say the shank is a sign of poor technique. I say it’s a sign of a vibrant, untamed spirit. A golfer who never shanks is a golfer who has never truly lived, never truly explored the outer limits of their own golfing absurdity. They are content with mediocrity, with predictable trajectories and mundane outcomes. But you, my enlightened few, you understand that the true joy of golf lies not in the score, but in the story. And what a story a good shank can tell.

So, the next time you feel that familiar tremor of a shank brewing, don’t fight it. Let it flow. Let it be. For in the heart of every shank lies a lesson, a laugh, and perhaps, just perhaps, a path to a lower score you never saw coming. After all, as the great philosopher Basho once said, “A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.” And a golf game without a shank? Well, that’s just not golf, is it?
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