Phil Mickelson's apology for his U.S. Open penalty may well endear him more to the group of everyday players who relate to Lefty as one of their own

Kevin Na took a stroll down memory lane this Throwback Thursday. You wouldn't think he'd gone very far, though, if you just looked at the photo the PGA Tour pro shared.
RELATED: Kevin Na calls off caddie during priceless conversation
Na posted a pic from when he won the 2002 Volvo Masters of Asia at 19 and something immediately stands out:
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Hmm, what could it be? Oh yeah, HE LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME AS HE DOES NOW!
Seriously, check out this photo of Na (and Justin Timberlake NBD) the last time he hoisted a trophy in 2011:
FacebookPinterestScott HalleranHere's a photo of Na, who will turn 35 in September, from 2016:
FacebookPinterestMarianna MasseyAnd here's one from freakin' Wednesday:
FacebookPinterestArep Kulal/Asian TourAmazing. And we know we're not crazy, because the majority of comments on Na's Thursday Instagram share the same sentiment with people saying things like “You look exactly the same!” and “You haven't aged ..

Jennifer Lopez upgraded from a mansion without a mini golf course to one with a mini golf course last year. But while that was a no-brainer, it doesn't seem like she's been practicing her putting.
On Wednesday, boyfriend Alex Rodriguez shared a clip on Instagram of Lopez badly missing a putt. Hey, they call her Jenny from the Block, not Jenny Bobby Locke, am I right? Sorry, that's a bad golf joke even by bad golf joke standards. Anyway, Lopez compounded her weak attempt by hurrying after her putt and taking a swipe at her golf ball while it was still moving — and missing again. Sound familiar? Have a look:
Not quite Phil Mickelson's raking form, but good effort. Then again, there probably wasn't a hidden message behind the video considering this celebrity couple has no problem posting embarrassing stuff on social media. Here's a video Rodriguez shared of the two getting lost driving in a golf cart the same day:
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Just a couple regul..

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Jarrod Lyle’s wife says the Australian golfer is struggling through a ”really scary” period in his third battle with cancer.

Lyle, 36, underwent a bone marrow transplant last December following a recurrence of acute myeloid leukemia.

”It’s been 190 days since Jarrod’s stem-cell transplant and we are going through a really rough patch at the moment,” Briony Lyle wrote on jarrodlylegolf.com. ”I’m typing this blog on his behalf because he’s not able to do it. Jarrod’s not able to drive, struggles to prepare any food for himself, can’t read stories to the girls and is not able to offer much help at all around the house.

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”He is also starting to look like a very frail, sick person.”

Briony Lyle added: ”We are both very aware of the amount of drugs and medication that has gone into Jarrod’s body over the years but things are starting to get really scary at the moment. It looks as if this recovery is going to be the longest and hardest..

SEASIDE, Calif. (AP) Ryan Vermeer won the PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday, overcoming front-nine problems to top the 20 qualifiers for the PGA Championship.

The 40-year-old Vermeer, the director of instruction at Happy Hollow Club in Omaha, Nebraska, closed with a 1-over 73 on the Bayonet Course for a two-stroke victory over Sean McCarty and Bob Sowards.

The PGA Championship is in August at Bellerive in St. Louis.

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Three strokes ahead entering the day, Vermeer played the front in 4 over with a double-bogey on the par-4 second and bogeys on the par-4 seventh and par-4 eighth. He rebounded with birdies on the par-5 10th and par-4 11th and also birdied the par-5 18th.

Vermeer finished at 5-under 283. The former University of Kansas player earned $55,000. He won the 2017 Mizuno Pro/Assistant Championship and finished ninth last year in the PGA Professional to qualify for PGA at Quail Hollow.

McCarty had a 68, and Sowards shot 69. Sowards won the ..

A British teen who drunkenly drove a golf cart to a McDonald's drive-through last month met the swift hand of justice earlier this week. Jamie Elliot, 18, won't be allowed to drive vehicles of any kind for one year. We're guessing he's not loving that.
As part of his punishment, Elliot will also have to pay 235 pounds (about $309) in penalties and court fees. Just think of all the Big Macs that could have bought. . .
RELATED: Fans steal golf cart from PGA Tour event and drive it to bar
Elliot took the golf cart from Catterick Golf Club, which is over a mile away from the McDonald's. Fortunately for Elliot, his admission to one count of driving while unfit through drink didn't include any charges for, um, borrowing the “buggy.”
North Yorkshire police apprehended Elliot driving the golf cart in the wee hours of May 29. He blew a reading of 47 micrograms of alcohol for every 100 milliliters of breath on his breathalyzer, well over the UK's legal limit of..

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) Some of the biggest names in golf missed the cut at last week’s U.S. Open. They’re spending this week in Connecticut looking to fix whatever might be wrong with their game before next month’s British Open.

Jordan Spieth, the defending champion at both this week’s Travelers Championship and next month’s Open Championship, will try to avoid missing the weekend for the third straight tournament.

”In order for (my game) to be ready, major championship ready for the Open Championship, I think being in contention this week would be a big key,” he said. ”It’s tough to go win a major championship if you’re not at least coming off of top 10 finishes in tournaments where you had a chance to win.”

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A year ago, a previously struggling Spieth shot a 7-under 63 in his first-ever round at TPC River Highlands and went wire to wire, winning the tournament in a playoff. That started a memorable summer that included his first Claret Jug.

He’s looking t..

Andrea Gaston had won three NCAA team titles at USC and reached the top five 13 straight years, but after 22 seasons she's leaving to coach at Texas A&M

NEW YORK (AP) Phil Mickelson has apologized four days after intentionally violating golf rules by hitting a moving ball on the green at the U.S. Open, saying his frustration got the best of him.

The apology came Wednesday in a statement released by his representatives.

”I know this should’ve come sooner, but it’s taken me a few days to calm down,” Mickelson said. ”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.”

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Mickelson was struggling in the third round when he reached the 13th green.

His bogey putt from above the hole ran by the cup and was headed down a slope when he trotted over and swatted it back toward the hole with the ball still in motion. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty, scored a 10 on the hole and wound up shooting 81.

Later, after acknowledging he was using Rule 14-5 to his advantage, Mickelson called USGA officials for clarifi..

Despite being in great position entering the final round of the 2018 U.S. Open, Justin Rose didn't win, place, or show. Three days later, his wife's racehorse named in the golfer's honor had a similar disappointing finish.
THE GRIND: DJ and Paulina sure moved on quickly after the U.S. Open
Master Merion — Get it?! How good is that?! — came in 12th place at Wednesday's Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot, two spots lower than Rose at Shinnecock Hills. Thanks to Golf Digest contributer/equestrian enthusiast Luke Kerr-Dineen for catching this interesting storyline while watching coverage of this English event:
https://twitter.com/LukeKerrDineen/status/1009429205388546048
Rose, of course, won his lone major title (so far) at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion. His wife, Kate, is listed as a co-owner on the horse's bio, and according to Justin, “Believe it or not, [the horse's name] had nothing to do with me.” Sorry, Justin. We don't believe you.
Despite the Roses not get..