Mulligan

February 10, 2021

A mulligan in golf is a do-over. Mulligans are never allowed under the rules, but, informally, many golfers allow them. Golfers will invoke a mulligan on the first tee, referring to it as a breakfast or lunch ball depending on the time of day. There is the traveling mulligan, which can be used at anytime during the round. Many charity events will allow you to buy mulligans. There are many theories about the derivation of the term, but none of them are definitive. It is like the history of the number “33” on the inside of a Rolling Rock beer bottle. No one knows where it came from. I assume that at one time there was a cheater named Mulligan, who’s egregious actions on the golf course earned him his eponym.

This is just background for Senator Mike Lee’s statement that Donald Trump deserves a mulligan for his incendiary and seditious speech on January 6th. A mulligan? This is the perfect reference for someone who has been called the “Commander in Cheat” by author Rick Reilly for his shenanigans on the golf course. I could see Trump saying, “You know, boys (Proud or otherwise), I shanked that one. I am going to take a mulligan.” Fortunately, in golf as in life, the rules do not permit a mulligan. You must play the ball as you found it, and suffer the consequences. Trump is asking for a do-over in his impeachment trial. As any golfer knows, a do-over will get you disqualified. We should only be so lucky.