Phil Mickelson’s gambling problem runs deeper than expected
(BVM) – Over the past few decades, Phil Mickelson has become one of the most successful players in professional golf, racking up 45 PGA Tour victories and six major championships. He quickly developed into a lovable fan favorite, and has long been one of the faces of the sport.
However, in recent years, more and more details have emerged that have been damaging to Mickelson’s reputation. Nearly a decade ago, Mickelson was accused of insider trading on the stock market. In 2015, he was also accused of “an illegal gambling operation” in a money laundering case. Even more recently in 2021, Mickelson was linked to court documents from a 2007 trial regarding an alleged mob bookie.
On Thursday, some of the most significant accusations yet about Mickelson’s gambling have come out. In an upcoming book soon to be released by professional gambler Billy Walters, Mickelson’s gambling over the past several years was detailed, revealing some staggering numbers.
Over the past three decades, the golfer is said to have bet over $1 billion on football, basketball and baseball alone, reportedly making over 800 bets of $220,000 during a five-year stretch from 2010-14, as well as over 1,100 bets of $110,000. In 2011, he made 11 bets per day. He also had a single day in that stretch in which he made 43 MLB bets. Overall, Mickelson is said to have lost over $100 million gambling.
According to a new memoir by Billy Walters, Phil Mickelson wagered $1 billion on sports in the last three decades.
The book says Mickelson:
• Has lost nearly $100 million gambling
• Averaged 9 bets per day in 2011
• Made 43 MLB bets in one day
• Tried to bet on a Ryder Cup… pic.twitter.com/RlXTNIwGxu— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 10, 2023
Perhaps the most damning allegation in the book comes from Mickelson’s time playing in the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club where he evidently called Walters and asked him to place a $400,000 bet on the U.S. to win, a team he was an integral part of determining the outcome of the event for. In the book, Walters claims he responded with this at the time.
“Have you lost your f—ing mind? Don’t you remember what happened to Pete Rose? You’re seen as the modern-day Arnold Palmer. You’d risk all that for this? I want no part of it.”
The betting relationship between Walters and Mickelson ended a couple of years later in 2014 as federal authorities began investigating them for insider trading, just eight years after the two had first met at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Their relationship soured further after Mickelson refused to testify in the insider trading case against Walters in which he received a sentence of five years in federal prison.
Mickelson’s issues with gambling have been well documented in the past. In an interview last year, the 53-year-old made it clear he once had an “embarrassing” gambling issue. However, he claimed he had turned the page after mentioning this during a Twitter spat with golf writer Eamon Lynch this past June.
Haven’t gambled in years. Almost a billionaire now. Thanks for asking
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) June 2, 2023
Yet, just days ago, a video surfaced on social media of Mickelson setting a wager on a golf match with Bryson DeChambeau. While a wager on a golf match in which he controls the outcome with his play is different from some of the high-stakes sports bets he has allegedly placed in the past, Mickelson seems to still be willing to gamble in some capacity.
Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau playing 9 holes for $1K 😳 pic.twitter.com/hggZT5nlsV
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) August 8, 2023
Although many of the six-time major champion’s gambling issues have gone on behind the scenes, the recent controversy he has created with his outspoken comments towards the PGA Tour in the last couple of years has not. Mickelson has become the face of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, and received around $200 million to be a member of the league that began play in 2022.
Mickelson has continued to face plenty of backlash from many of his peers as his support for LIV has seemingly only gotten stronger, and even after the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) that backs LIV Golf announced a merger earlier this summer, Mickelson has still been content with where he is at.
“I would say that from a player experience, all of the difficulties and challenges and the things that take a lot of excess of energy output throughout the week, have been fixed at LIV,” Mickelson said during an interview in June. “The player experience here is incredible. I just can’t envision a better scenario for me as a player than playing out here on LIV.”
Despite the support for LIV, Mickelson has never won on the new tour, and has only finished in the top 10 once across 18 events. He has also finished in a tie for 30th or worse in 10 LIV events which feature 48-player fields.
However, “Lefty” proved he can still be competitive at age 53 during various points at major championships this year, particularly during an impressive second-place finish at the Masters.
Phil Mickelson's final round (65) is the lowest round in Masters history by a player age 50 or older 👏 #themasters pic.twitter.com/yL9b1LtcIg
— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2023
Whether Mickelson can ever get back to his winning ways remains to be seen, but it might not be the biggest issue on his plate right now. The allegations made by Walters are certainly eye-opening, and it will be interesting to see where one of professional golf’s most popular figures goes from here.