Tiger Woods Saved Phil Mickelson's Life

A new book, “Gambler: Secrets from a Life of Risk” written by professional gambler and guy who can definitelyyyy get you morphine if you need it—Billy Walters—details Phil Mickelson’s betting history.

Walters claims from 2010 to 2014, Phil Mickelson was a WILD boy making 858 bets of $220,000 and 1,115 bets of $110,000. He claims Mickelson has wagered over a billion dollars and lost $100 million.

Personally, I wouldn’t place bets with this guy who is keeping detailed records of every single wager knowing it could potentially ruin my reputation and my career but do your thing, Phil.

Apparently, Mickelson attempted to bet $400,000 on Team USA in the 2012 Ryder Cup so he went full Pete Rose here.

But Billy Walters is the good guy in his new book and was there to warn Phil of the consequences of his actions:

In late September 2012, Phil called me from Medinah Country Club just outside Chicago, site of the 39th Ryder Cup matches between the United States and Europe. He was feeling supremely confident that the American squad led by Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, and Phil himself was about to reclaim the Cup from the Euros. He was so confident that he asked me to place a $400,000 wager for him on the U.S. team to win. I could not believe what I was hearing.

“Have you lost your f—ing mind?” I told him. “Don’t you remember what happened to Pete Rose?” The former Cincinnati Reds manager was banned from baseball for betting on his own team. “You’re seen as a modern-day Arnold Palmer” I added. “You’d risk all that for this? I want no part of it.”

Alright, alright, he replied.

Billy Walters tried to be both the worst influence in Mickelson’s life as well as the voice of reason. Shocked Phil wasn’t listening to him.

These stories explain exactly why Phil Mickelson was rushing to LIV Golf to take direct deposits from Saudi money launderers. There’s a local high school track meet and Mickelson needs extra cash to bet on the freshman long jumper.

All I can think about after finding out about Mickelson’s gambling addiction is how Tiger Woods essentially saved Phil Mickelson’s life.

See, by Tiger Woods beating Mickelson’s ass in every event, every year for a few decades, Tiger kept extra money out of Phil’s pocket that would immediately end up being lost in a smokey cigar-smelling basement at a poker table sitting across from Tobey Maguire waging all of his winnings and inevitably owing a Slovakian drug lord and being forced to pay it back in blood.

Mickelson could’ve lost his entire family in a sketchy fire if Tiger Woods wasn’t the most dominant golfer of all time. Phil should be thanking Tiger for beating him so often. Tiger saved Phil’s life.

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