Professional golfer Phil Mickelson has had quite the day today, with reports from a newly published book this morning alleging that “Lefty” has bet over $1 billion in the past 30 years.
“The Gambler,” a book by Billy Walters (and not the song by Kenny Rogers), shed light on some of the bombshell numbers behind Mickelson’s betting over the years.
It’s no secret that Phil “The Thrill” has been a notorious bettor over the years, but I don’t think anyone had any idea that the total amounts he’s allegedly bet ($1 billion) and lost ($100 million) in the last three decades was so astronomically high.
Billy Walters is a pretty famous gambler himself, and says in the book that he and Mickelson had a partnership in which Billy would develop plays to bet and Phil would follow through with them and place them.
In one of the most shocking allegations from the book, Walters claims that “Lefty” asked him to place a $400,000 bet on the 2012 Ryder Cup, which Mickelson himself was competing in on the side the United States.
The excerpt from “The Gambler” claims that Walters responded to Phil’s request by saying:
“Have you lost your f**ing mind? You’re seen as a modern-day Arnold Palmer. You’d risk all that for this? I want no part of it.’’
Walters himself was convicted of insider trading in 2017, so for him to still have enough of a moral compass in place to discourage Phil from going through on the Ryder Cup bet is saying something. Of course, Mickelson denies the allegations and some of the specifics that are discussed in the new book, and took to his social media account to clear the air:
“I never bet on the Ryder Cup. While it is well known that I always enjoy a friendly wager on the course, I would never undermine the integrity of the game. I have also been very open about my gambling addiction.
I have previously conveyed my remorse, took responsibility, have gotten help, have been fully committed to therapy that has positively impacted me and I feel good about where I am now.”
Clearly Mickelson has tried to move past his gambling addiction, and swears that he would never “pull a Pete Rose” and place bets on an event that he was taking part in.
However, this video that was posted just this week doesn’t help the argument that he’s been “fully committed to therapy” considering that he was willing to throw a considerate amount of money around playing against his fellow LIV Tour member Bryson DeChambeau:
Phil knows what he’s doing when it comes to betting. And now that I’m thinking about it, if he bet over $1 billion and only lost $100 million, he must not be that bad at gambling, right?
