“I would never undermine the integrity of the game” - Phil Mickelson addresses gambling allegations in official statement
Phil Mickelson has issued a statement to respond to certain details related to his past as a gambler. The details are revealed in an excerpt from a book that will be published in two weeks.
Mickelson referred to what famous gambler Billy Walters said in his autobiographical book "Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk." Specifically, the six-time major winner flatly denied ever having bet on the outcome of the Ryder Cup.
“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," Mickelson wrote on Twitter.
"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," he added.
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… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
In 2022, golf journalist Alan Shipnuck published a book titled "Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar."
In it, he devoted ample space to Mickelson's gambling problem, including vivid stories told by people directly connected to the issue who were interviewed by Shipnuck.
A year later, another book brings the subject to the table.
Phil Mickelson: revelations from the Billy Walters excerpt
Billy Walters is a gambler with a successful 30-year career in sports betting. In his memoir, which will be published next August 22, he devoted an entire chapter to his relationship with Phil Mickelson. An excerpt from that chapter was revealed on Thursday.
According to Waltes, he and Mickelson teamed up in 2008 to place coordinated bets, splitting the winnings 50/50. In this way, Walters was able to evade the limits imposed on him by bookmakers, due to his success.
Walters narrates in the disclosed excerpt that he acted in partnership with Mickelson until 2014. He offered estimates that, between 2010 and 2014, Phil Mickelson would have wagered more than $1 billion, with losses of about $100 million.
But the juiciest (and which was precisely what Phil Mickelson responded to in his statement), is related to the 2012 Ryder Cup. According to Walters, Mickelson phoned him from Medinah Country Club on the last day of that tournament.
Mickelson's call, Walters recounts, was to ask him to bet $400,000 on his behalf on his victory on the final day of the tournament. He said the ace golfer felt "confident.".
Walters continues his story by claiming that he refused to make this transaction, but that he does not know whether or not Mickelson did it another way.
Phil Mickelson lost his match that day against Justin Rose, and the United States lost the Ryder Cup to Europe. The event is known as the "Miracle at Medinah."