fThings are going badly for Phil Mickelson at the moment – and not just on the golf course. On Sunday he played in the final group for the first time since joining the Saudi Arabian-funded Golf Tour LIV. On the course of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster (New Jersey), the 53-year-old American had calculated his chances of his first win in two years, as he wrote in a post on Platform X.
But the hope of catching up with the Australian Cameron Smith was lost on the seventh hole, a 175-metre-long par 3. Mickelson sank the ball twice in the water and needed a total of eight strokes, a so-called quintuple bogey. He ended up 11 strokes behind Smith in tied ninth place, his best result since joining the Saudi league in spring 2022.
“I never bet on the Ryder Cup”
The fans, including former American President Donald Trump, had loudly supported the left-hander Mickelson – even though details from his business partner Billy Walters’ book had become known on the Internet. According to the report, Mickelson has lost more than a billion dollars (around 913 million euros) in bets on football, baseball and basketball over the past three decades.
Even worse: Mickelson asked Walker in 2012 to bet $400,000 (around €365,000) on an American home win at the Ryder Cup in Chicago; a competition in which Mickelson entered and which Europe eventually won. In all sports, professionals are prohibited from betting on competitions in which they participate. Had Mickelson actually bet on an American win and had it been known, it would have resulted in a lengthy ban. Walker, with whom the Californian placed bets from 2008 to 2014, rejected the request.
Mickelson contradicted X: “I never bet on the Ryder Cup. While it is known that I am always happy to make a friendly bet on the golf course, I would never undermine the integrity of the game. I’ve also been very open about my gambling addiction. I have previously expressed remorse, accepted responsibility, sought help and fully engaged in therapy that has had a positive impact on me.”
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