“The Gambling GOAT”: Old excerpt about Phil Mickelson’s live betting from his book leaves golf fans wanting more

Phil Mickelson's past gambling problems have returned to the public eye. Mickelson's recent behavior has brought those memories back to netizens' minds.

A new book on Phil Mickelson's life, which will be released in the next few days, also revisits his relationship with gambling.

Scores of social media users have reacted to this publication, which had more than one million views in just five hours. Reactions are divided, with fans criticizing Phil Mickelson and others showing solidarity with him.

Let's take a look at some of the reactions on Twitter:

"@PhilMickelson the gambling goat"

Phil Mickelson and gambling

Previously, Phil Mickelson's gambling was detailed in the book "Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar."

It is a biography about the player written by journalist Alan Shipnuck and published in 2022.

However, the subject has resurfaced with another book, "Gambler: Secrets from a Life of Risk," the autobiography of renowned gambler Billy Walters. It will be published on August 22, but an excerpt from Walters' chapter on Phil Mickelson was released Thursday.

Walters details his relationship with Mickelson and gambling. He said the two acted in tandem in the world of sports betting for a long time. Walters even explained his reason for partnering with Mickelson.

This is how The Fire Pit Collective reproduced it:

"My reason for partnering with him was simple. Given my reputation in the gambling world, my limits with Phil’s two bookmakers were roughly $20,000 a game on college and $50,000 on the pros. Even after our fifty-fifty split, Phil’s limits of $400,000 on college at offshore sportsbooks and another $400,000 on the NFL enabled me to at least double my limits. Phil also had a $100,000 limit on college over/under bets with each book, twenty times my maximum."

But the icing on the cake is the story told by Billy Walters about Mickelson calling him from Medinah Country Club during the 2012 Ryder Cup to ask him to bet $400,000 on his behalf for his final day victory.

According to Walters, he declined. Eventually, Mickelson would lose his final match to Justin Rose and the United States would also lose the tournament. It is an event known in golf circles as the "Miracle at Medinah".

According to Walters, he and Mickelson acted together in gambling matters between 2008 and 2014. Billy Walters maintained a successful career in sports betting for 30 years.