Mulligan: Etymology

[Machinus]

Watching the daily show this week, there was a joke involving the phrase "Operation Mulligan." I'm sure you can deduce the premise. Anyway, I couldn't figure out how they knew this word, since I've only ever heard it in a magic context and I'm pretty sure Rob Riggle has never played. I asked my girlfriend if she had any ideas. She was feeling pretty lucky on google and here's what she found:

http://golf.about.com/cs/historyofgolf/a/hist_mulligan.htm

Interestingly, that inquiry was from a golfer with the exact same question, except about golf! This is another activity that goes on my list of things that magic has taken ideas from.

[Godder]

People didn't know that mulligan isn't from Magic?

[Komatteru]

It's been a common term through golf so long that everyone knows the term.  "Gimmie" is another term that came from golf that is very commonplace in everyday speech.  Like, it seemed so obvious that Magic took it from golf....

[Machinus]

I don't play golf. Is that the only place it's used?

[Moxlotus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulligan

[Godder]

Mulligan stew .

[Bram]

I was taught another version of the story, where the rule was invented by a group of golfers and named after their recently deceased friend called Mulligan, who was a poor golfer. Whenever their first shot would suck, they would attribute it to the 'ghost' of Mulligan, and re-do it. That way, he'd always be with them, in a way. I always liked that story.

[Cross]

There's a golf joke in family guy about it.