Mark Daigneault's Tee Shot Goes Awry After Teaming Up With Phil Mickelson

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault had an incredible season, finishing second in the NBA's annual Coach of the Year award. Daigneault got the most out of an undersized roster, helping the Thunder overachieve and secure a spot in the play-in tournament.

Thursday, Oklahoma City's head coach took part in the LIV Golf Tulsa pro-am, teaming up with legendary golfer Phil Mickelson to take on the competition. The good news for Thunder fans is Daigneault seems to be spending much more time in his office than he does on the tee box.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault playing with Phil Mickelson in the LIV Tulsa Pro-Am.

Opening tee shot? Off my camera. 😳#LIVGolf #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/55DigdqpRk
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) May 11, 2023

During his opening tee shot, Daigneault drilled the camera of News Channel 8's TJ Eckhert, who was a great sport about it. The third year head coach seemed to have a few morning jitters during his first shot of the day, but it generated an incredible clip.

The good news for Daigneault? Mickelson gave the go-ahead on a mulligan. The pro golfer has certainly had his fair share of wild shots over the years, and gifted the young Coach of the Year runner-up a bit of grace.

Off to an already rocky start, Daigneault will need a miracle to catch up to Mickelson's career accolades. The LIV golfer has three Masters titles, two PGA Championship victories and an Open Championship. It's the first recorded event for Oklahoma City's head coach, so room for growth and potential is certainly there.

Daigneault helped spearhead Oklahoma City's turnaround by instilling a culture of effort and attention to detail. The Thunder dramatically improved its offense from a season ago and the team's defense has been a foundational piece for the future.

The team rallied around Daigneault and bought into his philosophies from top to bottom. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City's MVP candidate, spoke highly about his head coach every chance he got.

“I didn’t learn nothing, I knew what type of coach he was his first year here," said Gilgeous-Alexander. "He has a core belief system and I 100% agree with it.

"I think him instilling those things in us when we were a 15-win team to when we were a 22-win team until now has made it easier for us to grow because it's instilled in us habits that we will carry forward and I think he's done a great job of that."

It's unclear if Daigneault will stick with his coaching career or pursue championships with Mickelson in the future. The choice, however, seems incredibly obvious.

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