Golf isn’t feeling groovy

Scott McCarron says he’s sorry he used the words “cheat,” “Phil,” and “Mickelson” in the same sentence last week.

McCarron says he has apologized personally to Mickelson, the No. 2-ranked golfer in the world, and that they are now on the same side in all things having to do with golf clubs, grooves and even Ping Eye 2s, which are legal but only thanks to a legal loophole.

Oh, and the controversial Ping Eye 2 wedge that Mickelson used last week? It’s still in play.

Welcome to the “groovy” Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, where McCarron told reporters that he talked to Mickelson for 10 minutes Tuesday after a previously scheduled players’ meeting.

“I’m certainly sorry for it,” McCarron said of his harsh words that inflamed the dispute over grooves in a club’s head, where vertical ones are now the rule and square ones are not. Except for the Ping Eye 2.

“I’d like to apologize to Phil Mickelson for what I said. We both realize we’re on the same page on this issue.”

McCarron also indicated something would be worked out.

“I would think by the end of the year this rule will change,” he said, without giving specifics, and that a possible resolution could come within 90 to 100 days.

Mickelson, dressed in a suit and tie and accompanied by security guards, refused to comment as he left Riviera, en route to dinner with former president George W. Bush. But last week Mickelson was clearly irritated when McCarron told the San Francisco Chronicle, “It’s cheating and I’m appalled Phil has put it in play.”

Padraig Harrington, who is in the Northern Trust Open field, said Tuesday that McCarron’s use of the word “cheat” was unfortunate because the Ping club is allowed by the rules.

“Whatever those rules are in place, you’ve got to play by them,” Harrington said.

But he also expressed what many players have said privately.

“I would like to see a clarification,” Harrington said. “Maybe Ping could forgo the lawsuit. Or . . . what I would sort of suggest is that maybe everybody sign up to a charter and say we won’t use them. But while they’re out there being used, it’s a difficult situation not to.”

Others said that McCarron’s use of the word “cheat” was simply too strong.

“Using those two words so closely together, cheating and Phil Mickelson,” Steve Stricker said Tuesday. “I didn’t care for his words.”

Mickelson, the two-time defending champion at Riviera, is scheduled to hold a news conference Wednesday, right after PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem holds his own briefing, one that was postponed from Tuesday.

The issue will be grooves on irons, wedges in particular -- and it has been disrupting the game of golf.

A rules change that took effect Jan. 1 on the PGA Tour mandates use of irons with less groove sharpness and volume. No more U-grooves or square grooves. Make room for V-grooves. The thinking was that the professionals were able to put too much spin on balls with the square grooves. Knock your tee shot into the rough? No problem. The grooves will get you out of trouble.

There is a problem, though. The Ping Eye 2, a U-shaped wedge manufactured before April 1, 1990, can still be used thanks to a lawsuit settlement that stipulates the wedge can never be outlawed by any rules change.

Four players, including Mickelson and John Daly, had the Ping Eye 2s in their bags at the Farmers Insurance Open last week at Torrey Pines.

After McCarron spoke out, Mickelson told reporters, “Everybody has their opinions and so forth, and it’s healthy to talk about it. But when you cross that line and slander someone publicly, that’s when the tour needs to step in. Or someone else.”

Harrington, anticipating the rule change, did a good deed last December and gave up a bunch of old clubs for charity. Among those clubs? Seven Ping wedges.

He went and got some of them back a couple of weeks ago when he realized the club could still be played.

“I must have had those clubs for 20 years,” Harrington said. “I had a total clean-out, and, sure enough, you need them next week.” He has them now.

“I did some good testing. Unfortunately the testing showed up exactly what you would expect, there’s a significant difference.”

McCarron on Monday had tried to bring some calm to the uproar by issuing a statement to explain his comments: “I never called Phil Mickelson a cheater. That being said, I want my fans, sponsors and, most importantly, my fellow players, to know that I will not be silenced and I will continue my efforts to get the groove issue resolved.”

That was followed by a statement from John Solheim, chief executive of Ping, who said, “I’m willing to discuss a workable solution to this matter. . . . “

Bret Wahl, senior director of product development for TaylorMade-adidas golf, said the club manufacturers and players alike agree on one thing.

“This creates an uneven playing field to some extent,” he said. “And we’ve all been caught off guard a little by this, by the confusion it is creating.”

McCarron said Tuesday he knows he was wrong in one respect.

“I shouldn’t have brought any player into this,” he said. “But I’ve also heard from a lot of guys that everybody should be on the same playing field. This issue should have been resolved before Jan. 1.”

But it hasn’t. Stay tuned.

diane.pucin@latimes.com

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