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Phil Mickelson Reportedly Lost $40M Gambling Between 2010 and 2014
May 5, 2022
In an upcoming biography of Phil Mickelson, the author reports that the superstar golfer totaled $40 million in gambling losses from 2010 to 2014.
Alan Shipnuck, the author of Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar, posted an excerpt from the book Wednesday on FirePitCollective.com detailing Mickelson's high-volume gambling.
Shipnuck wrote that when Mickelson was investigated for insider trading in 2016, government auditors looked into his finances, and a source with access to the documents said the gambling losses were in excess of $40 million.
Shipnuck argues that Mickelson may have only been breaking even or even losing money despite making over $40 million per year during that time.
Recently, Mickelson has been in the news because of comments he made about Saudi Arabia and its human rights violations amid his negotiations to potentially play on a tour rivaling the PGA Tour in the country.
In February, Shipnuck (h/t ESPN's Mark Schlabach) released an excerpt from the book detailing the conversation he had with Mickelson regarding the Saudi Tour.
In part, Mickelson said:
"They're scary motherf--kers to get involved with. ... They killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."
Mickelson lost multiple sponsors as a result of his comments, and he has not played a PGA Tour event since January.
Lefty missed the Masters, although he filed the paperwork necessary to play in the PGA Championship this month and the U.S. Open in June.
Mickelson also requested clearance to play in the Saudi Arabian LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London in June.
In his latest excerpt, Shipnuck openly wondered why Mickelson contacted him to talk about Saudi Arabia and why he even considered playing in the Saudi golf league.
Shipnuck speculated that Mickelson's desire to play in Saudi Arabia may be the "funny money" being offered, especially when considering his past gambling debts.
Now, Mickelson is seemingly preparing for a return to defend his unlikely 2021 PGA Championship title.