A spray from superstar Phil Mickleson has thrown a shadow over the professional debut of Australian teen golf star Ryan Ruffels.
Seventeen-year-old Ruffels was desperate to make a good start in pro ranks among elite company at this week's US PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines.
But his focus faced a severe test after five-time major winner Mickelson accused him of "high school stuff" over a recent interview in which he spoke of a money match he played against the American veteran.
Ruffels, who earlier in his career was being recruited by Mickelson and his brother Tim to play college golf at Arizona State University, where Tim is the coach, played a round with the pair at Torrey Pines in December after he'd decided to instead turn pro.
"We get on the first tee, it's pretty early in the morning and he says, `I don't wake up this early to play for any less than $2500'," the teenager recounted to the Sydney Morning Herald.
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Mickelson then reportedly offered 2-1 odds and Ruffels said: "I was a few down through nine but then I birdied six of my last seven to win by one shot and took his money, so that was pretty cool."
On the eve of the Farmers Insurance Open on Wednesday, Mickelson took aim at Ruffels, accusing him of being indiscreet and allegedly embellishing the amount won, despite not being directly asked about the matter by reporters who raised the Australian's name.
"He's a very nice person. I met him a month ago, and we played for the first time. He's young, and he's got some things to learn," said Mickelson.
"One of them is you don't discuss certain things. You don't discuss specifics of what you play for. And you certainly don't embellish and create a false amount just for your own benefit.
"So those things right there are, that's high school stuff, and he's going to have to stop doing that now that he's out on the PGA Tour.
The issue was complicated because Ruffels had earlier attempted to recant his original version of the match.
After the story first hit and the Mickelson camp was unimpressed with the gambling revelations and any potential thought of recruitment violations, Ruffels posted on the Golf Channel's instagram account.
"Everyone, this is very inaccurate," he said in the comments section of the Instagram post.
"There are no NCAA violations involved. At the time of the round I was already a professional, and had made it clear my intentions to not attend ASU or any college in Australia or the USA.
"The wager amount has also been exaggerated out of proportion. I value the relationship I have with Phil and his brother Tim and it's one that I hope to have for many years. To have so many damaging inaccuracies in this is truly disappointing."
