The known lefty Phil Mickelson has raked the headlines lately because of his LIV-PGA claims, his performance on the greens this LIV season, the monkey on his back; and his gambling-related controversies. Although the player has now clarified that he has burned the bridges that took him on the betting and wagering path, some anecdotes from the world of sports still have kept him under speculation. 

An excerpt from a controversial American author’s book has surfaced among golf enthusiasts, and the insinuations of it have made it to the headlines, this time courtesy of his nemesis. What new gambling-related controversy is the Lefty now a part of? 

Shocking new insights into Phil Mickelson’s gambling secrets

The sports world, including the golfing silo, has all been known to Phil Mickelson’s gambling issues. Over the years, many fellow golfers and other personalities, even from outside the realm of pro sports, have unveiled some secrets about the Lefty’s addiction. Now, in his book ‘Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar,’ Alan Shipnuck has talked about some secrets related to the pro golfer’s dark past. 

Quoting American golfers Steve Flesch and Tom Lehman, Shipnuck has shared some anecdotes revealing Mickelson’s intense focus on football scores during rounds. Steve Flesch admitted that once he played with the Lefty for a round at the Hyundai Team Matches, and during the game, Mickelson kept checking a beeper. “He could not have cared any less about what we were doing on the golf course. He was definitely more concerned about who was winning the football games and who was covering the spread,” the player remarked. 

Shipnuck also adds a quote from Tom Lehman to substantiate his argument. Referencing the golfer, Shipnuck adds that Lehman also had a similar experience with the LIV pro back in 2000 when the two were playing at the Presidents Cup. Lehman claims that during the game Mickelson was distracted and “barely finished a hole through the first eight holes.” 

Furthering on that, the golfer added that the golfing veteran kept assuring Lehman to not worry and that he would show up eventually. “…On the ninth hole, he buries it in the front bunker and is out of the hole again. He walks way back into the trees and is sitting on a stump with his back to everybody and his head down. I think he’s giving himself a pep talk, so I go over there to try to make him feel better, and he’s got his phone out, and he’s checking the football scores,” the golfer added.

Mickelson has had a history with this trait, and he has admitted to getting over it in recent times as well, but stories from the days he was heavily involved with the scenario keep remerging and causing controversies. 

Phil Mickelson’s past gambling struggles: From confessions to allegations and scrutiny

The golf world knows that Phil Mickelson has had a history of gambling and betting, something that the golfer had admitted to himself previously. The golfer has confessed on his SNS posts that he used to struggle with betting addiction and that he has now stopped. His financial standing has never been an issue for the player, and so he had admitted that his removing himself from the betting and gambling scene wasn’t because he couldn’t spend more money on gambling, it was because the addition was taxing and it took a toll on his relationships in his circle. 

During the time of the Ryder Cup, Billy Walters, a gambler, had made some alleged allegations against Mickelson that he spent around and over $1 billion and intended to bet $400,000 on the 2012 Ryder Cup. Mickelson came clean to the golf spectra and confessed that the allegations were untrue and fabricated. 

The scrutiny’s eye keeps returning to Mickelson’s grounds times and again. What are your thoughts on this page that has revealed some new anecdotes? Let us know in the comments below!

Watch this Story: Tiger Woods Takes Up a Daunting ‘7000 Yards’ Test Amid Playing Son Charlie Woods Second-in-Command