Phil Mickelson’s Notorious Betting Antics Once Got Out of Hand With the Tour Having to Get Involved

Alan Shipnuck and his writings have been revealing a lot of Phil Mickelson secrets lately. The American author is the one who published the golfer’s controversial comments on the Saudi-backed golf league and the PGA Tour. Moreover, his writings introduced the golf world to another side of the 6-time major champion and shared his gambling problems.  

‘Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar’ is a biography by Shipnuck. It is a book written based on Mickelson and details how gambling affected the golfer’s personal and professional life. 

Nonetheless, did you know that the PGA Tour once had to meddle to refrain Mickelson from gambling? One of the excerpts from Shipnuck’s book details the story. 

PGA Tour put a full stop to Mickelson’s habit of gambling during tournaments

“Every time Phil got to my hole, Bones would look up to me, and I would flash the odds,” an excerpt from Shipnuck’s book read. According to the author, the former CBS announcer, Gary McCord, revealed how he and Mickelson would place bets during tournaments while he sat in the commendatory booth. 

The former CBS announcer even explained the codes and signals they would send each other through Mickelson’s caddie at the time, Bones. “Bones would go down and whisper in his ear, and Phil would look at me and shake his head yes or no,” McCord’s story further read. 

Read More: When Phil Mickelson Named His ‘3 Biggest Professional Regrets’

According to McCord, the 2021 PGA Championship winner used to win most of the bets between them. “… the Tour found about it, and I got word through CBS,” he added. “I was no longer allowed to gamble with Phil while in the tower. ” 

Phil Mickelson and his relationship with the PGA Tour in 2022

Phil Mickelson has won 45 titles on the PGA Tour, including six majors. He has played on the Tour for almost thirty years before joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series this year. 

Since the beginning of the year, he has been criticizing the Tour on topics like not giving the media rights to the golfers. However, he chose not to resign from the American golf organization when he signed with LIV Golf for approximately $200 million. The Tour has suspended players like Mickelson for joining their rival league, and in turn, the players joining LIV Golf have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. 

Mickelson has acknowledged his gambling issues before. However, he hasn’t revealed how the Tour tried to stop him from betting during tournaments. Were you aware of the golfer’s habit of gambling while playing? 

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