Phil Mickelson's former gambling associate makes fresh claim about Ryder Cup bet

Phil Mickelson's former gambling associate Billy Walters claimed they only discussed betting on professional golf on one occasion.

Ben Smith

19 Aug 2023

Phil Mickelson's former gambling associate makes fresh claim about Ryder Cup bet — Phil Mickelson's former gambling associate makes fresh claim about Ryder…

Phil Mickelson's former gambling partner Billy Walters says Lefty 'probably got carried away in the moment' over his alleged desire to bet $400,000 on the Ryder Cup and it was the only time they discussed betting on golf.

Mickelson's gambling stories are the stuff of legend.

On 11 August an extract of Walters' forthcoming book Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk dropped on The Firepit Collective.

Walters claims he essentially has all of the receipts from Mickelson's bets over three decades.

The convicted felon claimed Mickelson wagered up to $1bn, with more than $100m in losses.

So the story goes, Mickelson was so confident of a U.S. victory that he wanted to bet $400,000 on Team USA to emerge victorious at Medinah in 2012.

Walters reportedly suggested to Mickelson that he had 'lost his mind' and implored him to think of Pete Rose, the former Cincinatti Reds coach who admitted he bet on baseball and was subsequently banned.

Walters claims he refused that bet and Mickelson later released a statement about the allegation.

Some columnists have claimed that Mickelson should be further investigated.

"The reputation of golf, and the integrity of its competitions, must be of concern to all stewards of the game," Eamon Lynch wrote for Golfweek.

He added:

"The issue presented here is not the PGA Tour's alone. It extends to the PGA of America, the USGA, the R&A and the Masters — organizations that run events in which Mickelson continues to compete. Golf's stakeholders have an obligation to investigate if one of the sport's greats wagered on tournaments in which he played and to what extent, if any, those events were compromised or corrupted."

More?

Walters has now given an interview to ESPN where he outlined his side of the story.

He told Outside the Lines:

"I had a call [from Phil], he was playing at the Ryder Cup in Medinah at 2012 and I got a call [and] he wanted to bet $400,000 on the U.S. team to win the Ryder Cup. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I said, 'Have you lost your mind?'

"I said, 'Don't you know what happened to Pete Rose? You betting on the Ryder Cup, it would destroy your career. You're looked at as a modern day Arnold Palmer and I don't want any part of it. He never made the bet. He hung up the phone and that was the end of it.

"He called and wanted to make the bet but the bet was never made. I never had any discussion with him ever prior to that about betting on golf. I never had any discussion after about betting on golf. That was the one and only time. Literally, I think he just got carried away in the moment and decided they were a lock to win and wanted to make that bet."

Watch:

"I said 'Don't you know what happened to Pete Rose? ... You betting on the Ryder Cup, that would destroy your career.'"
Renowned sports bettor Billy Walters recounts when Phil Mickelson allegedly asked to wager on the 2012 Ryder Cup. pic.twitter.com/PMgwqItHyX
— Outside the Lines (@OTLonESPN) August 17, 2023

Team Europe, led by Jose Maria Olazabal, overcame a 10-6 deficit to win the trophy 14 1/2 points to 13 1/2.

Walters was jailed for five years in 2017 for insider trading, but his sentence was commuted in 2021 by former US president Donald Trump.

His latest allegation is the Mickelson laundered money to pay off his gambling debts but escaped punishment after a trick by his lawyer Harry Houdini would've been proud of.

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