Hate to Say I Told You So Phil A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T, But the White Belt Is Your Main Offender

Phil Mickelson has apparently decided to straddle the golf fashion line between The Gentleman Jock and The International. The most notable element he’s acquired from the latter is the white belt. This is a look that has previously been reserved for Euros.

While the belt may help make his slimmer-yet-still-overweight waistline look thinner, it isn’t doing anything for his game. Jason Sobel explains (via Waggle Room):

In five of those rounds the cursed belt was worn, only once was he able to break par -- at Poppy Hills in Round 2 of the AT&T -- for a stroke average of +1.8 compared to a -1.2 season average and -2.3 in dark belt rounds.

In wins, the white belt was only worn for the second round at Riviera, a 1-over 72 after shooting 63 in the first round. No white belts at Doral, although three white shirts -- a decision that may have won him the championship.

At the Masters, he wore the white belt in the first round (1-over 73), but never again, posting scores of 68-71-67 in the final three rounds.

In his most recent tournament -- Quail Hallow -- he wore the white belt during the second round. He shot a 75. Phil, however, stands by the belt, saying he won’t be putting it away:

"Yeah, I know [the scoring average is] not too good, but it's not going to stop me from wearing it. I look too good in it."

Mickelson went on to announce that he will be joining Swedish garage rock band The Hives for the European leg of their summer tour, which explains why he’s committed to the white belt. He’ll be playing the second fiddle, an instrument he’s been perfecting since 1996.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.