Mulligan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For people named Mulligan, see Mulligan (surname).
A mulligan, in a game, happens when a player gets a second chance to perform a certain move or action.
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[edit] Mulligan in golf
In golf, a mulligan is a shot retaken, due to an errant shot. Mulligans are strictly prohibited in the official rules of the game, but are a commonplace in social golf. Traditionally, mulligans are only allowed on the tee shot of the first hole (giving rise to the equivalent term breakfast ball). Some social golf games allow a fixed number of mulligan shots (usually one per round) to be taken at any time of the golfer's choosing, except on a putting green. These more permissive mulligans are often identified by the terms floating mulligan or walking shapiro.
Some social golf games also allow one mulligan per nine holes (thus two for a round of 18).
[edit] Origin
There are many theories about the origin of the term. The United States Golf Association (USGA) cites three different stories explaining that the term derived from the name of a Canadian golfer, David Mulligan, one time manager of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, who played at St. Lambert in Montreal during the 1920s. One version has it that one day after hitting a poor tee shot, Mr. Mulligan re-teed and shot again. He called it a "correction shot," but his friends thought it more fitting to name the practice after him. David Mulligan then brought the concept from Canada to the famous U.S. golf club Winged Foot. A second version has the extra shot given to Mulligan due to his being jumpy and shaky after a difficult drive to the course. The final version of the David Mulligan story gives him an extra shot after having overslept, rushing to get ready to make the tee time.
An alternate, later etymology credits a different man named Mulligan — John A. "Buddy" Mulligan, a locker room attendant at Essex Fells, New Jersey. In the 1930s, he was known to replay shots.
According to the USGA, the term first achieved widespread use in the 1940's.
[edit] Other uses
The term has found a broader acceptance in both general speech and other games, meaning any minor blunder which is allowed to pass unnoticed or without consequence. In both senses, it is implied that a mulligan is forgiven because it was either made by a rank beginner, or it is unusual and not indicative of the level of play or conduct expected of the person who made the mulligan.
The word can also be used in instances outside of sports, in real-life situations. For example, it has been used commonly in relationships to replace the term 'cold feet', where a person messes up the relationship the first time around, for various reasons relating to 'cold feet', then regrets the screw up, and wishes for a mulligan having realized how ridiculous the initial action was. Much like the pressure of the first tee shot in front of strangers to start a round of golf, the first stab at a serious relationship is similarly pressure-packed; however, as with a golfing mulligan, a relationship mulligan allows the person to be much more relaxed and focused on the second attempt, having understood what went wrong on the first attempt. Another example is in politics, where the losing candidate in a party primary may be able to run again in the general election on another ballot line. In the 2006 Connecticut US Senate race, many Ned Lamont supporters accused Senator Joseph Lieberman of running a mulligan race after narrowly losing the Democratic Party primary.
[edit] Magic: The Gathering
In Magic: The Gathering, a player may declare mulligan after drawing his initial hand at the beginning of the game. If such a declaration is made, the player puts his cards back into his deck, shuffles, and draws a new hand of the same number of cards minus one. A common reason for declaring a mulligan would be getting a hand with no mana sources. The player may repeat this until they are satisfied, or the number of cards in their hand reaches zero.
This mulligan style is known as the Paris mulligan, due to the fact that it was first used in 1997 at the Paris Pro Tour tournament. Before that, the mulligan functioned differently. If a player had either 0 or 7 lands in hand, that player could show his or her hand to the opponent, shuffle, and draw a new hand of seven cards. The new rule removed the opponent reveal and made the mulligan a much more strategic part of the game, creating trade-off and risk where before there was none.
Unlike golf, in Magic, mulligans are legal under tournament rules, and are more frequently associated with poor luck than lack of skill.
