'Mickelson Had Gambling Losses Of $40m' - Upcoming Biography Reveals

Over the past few months Phil Mickelson has arguably been the most talked about man in the golf world. Along with his drama involving the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia, he is also in the process of taking a long break from the game following his controversial comments which appeared in a Fire Pit Collective article by Alan Shipnuck.

Now, in another piece by the US Journalist, it is alleged that Mickelson also had gambling losses totalling $40 million through 2010-14, with a piece by Shipnuck entitled 'The Multitudes Within Mickelson' stating that: "Mickelson’s love of gambling is fundamental to understanding his style of play as a golfer. It might also explain the Saudi seduction."

In the piece, Shipnuck writes: "Based on his comments to me, he clearly enjoyed the idea of sticking it to the PGA Tour, but the real motivation was plainly the funny money being offered by the Saudis. 

"Why was Phil so eager to cash in, at the risk of alienating so many fans and endorsement partners? The massive scale of Mickelson’s gambling losses has never before been made public, but, as noted in the book, during the Billy Walters insider trading investigation, government auditors conducted a forensic examination of Phil’s finances. 

"According to a source with direct access to the documents, Mickelson had gambling losses totalling more than $40 million in the four-year period (2010–14) that was scrutinized."

Along with the losses, Shipnuck also states in the piece that: "Money was a big factor in Mickelson’s bust-up with his career-long caddie, Jim (Bones) Mackay", and that "Bones had fired Phil at the ’17 Memorial, over a series of simmering grievances (laid out in detail in the book), including hundreds of thousands of dollars in overdue back pay."

The book, which is titled ‘Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar,' is set to be released on the 17th May, with Shipnuck recently tweeting that: "The folks who love Phil will likely feel that even more strongly after reading the book. His detractors will find fodder... I’m quite curious which direction the ambivalent will lean…."

As for Mickelson, it is still unclear as to when he will return to competitive action, with the 51-year-old officially entered in to the next two men's Majors, according to a statement from his agency. 

However, along with the PGA Championship and US Open entry, Lefty has also requested a release from the PGA Tour to play in the opening LIV Golf Invitational Series event at the Centurion Club in June, with Mickelson reportedly signing an agreement to play in all eight Saudi-backed Series events throughout 2022.