‘Was He Testing My Loyalty?’: Known for His Gambling Habits, Phil Mickelson Once Puzzled a Renowned Reporter With His Behavior

Phil Mickelson has a record of doing unexpected things at unexpected times. The golfer has millions of fans and has made tons of records on the field. However, his actions on the field are also no less unusual. There was a time when Mickelson started placing random bets in front of a well-known journalist, and fans believed he was showing off!

Phil Mickelson stood unembarrassed after allegedly showing off

Lefty is currently one of the highest-earning athletes in the world according to Forbes. The golfer recently joined LIV Golf ditching his entire PGA Tour legacy for a sum of $200 million. Money has never been a problem for the six-time major winner. Although the golfer is generally very humble about his financial success, there was a time when John Hawkins thought he was showing off in front of him.

Mickelson has had a huge record of gambling and betting money, especially on sports. He has even put his money in bets within tournaments and practice sessions with other golfers. Win or lose, the golfer enjoys the thrill he gets from it. However, he once couldn’t resist doing the same in front of renowned reporter John Hawkins inside a locker room.

In a book that Alan Shipnuck wrote about Mickelson’s life, he mentioned the instance when the golfer did something quite embarrassing. It was during the Tour Championship sometime in the 2000s, when Mickelson and Hawkins were alone in a locker room. According to what Shipnuck narrated, Mickelson took his phone out and started placing random bets on early-season college basketball games.

What was Hawkins’ reaction to what Mickelson did?

Hawkins spoke about the matter and believed that Mickelson was trying to boast his money in front of him. “Over 20 minutes he must’ve made 50 bets,” Hawkins said, ”It was like he was showing off.” Hawkins’ ex-wife was consistently in touch with Mickelson at the time since she was working for Hugo Boss. And she was responsible for helping the golfer with his clothing deal.

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“I’ve wondered about Phil’s motivation in being so brazen in front of me,” Hawkins added. “Was he trying to co-opt me? Was he testing my loyalty?” Shipnuck also mentioned other such situations involving the golfer in his book, ‘Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar.’

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