Golf

Phil Mickelson opens up on gambling addiction: ‘I crossed the line’

Phil Mickelson, in a prolonged submit on social media, stated he will not guess on soccer this season and opened up on his gambling struggles and dependancy.

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Phil Mickelson took to social media on Monday to open up on his gambling dependancy but in addition warn others of the injury it could possibly trigger.

Mickelson, in equivalent posts to each his Twitter and Instagram, stated he received’t guess on soccer this season since he had beforehand crossed the line of moderation and into dependancy.

The six-time main champion’s submit was 412-words lengthy, and in it he defined how his dependancy spiraled uncontrolled, the significance of a robust assist system and the essential function his spouse, Amy, performed to assist him.

Mickelson has lengthy held a popularity as a big-time sports activities gambler, nevertheless it wasn’t till lately when numbers began to swirl about how a lot he was allegedly gambling.

Last yr, Alan Shipnuck’s biography on Mickelson reported he had misplaced greater than $40 million gambling from 2010-14. A month after that excerpt was printed, Mickelson instructed Sports Illustrated his gambling turned “reckless and embarrassing.”

“It affected those I care about in ways I wasn’t aware or could fully understand,” Mickelson stated in his submit on Monday. “It’s like a hurricane is going on outside and I’m isolated in a shelter oblivious to what was happening. When I came out there was so much damage to clean up that I just wanted to go back inside and not deal with it.”

But the most up-to-date, and maybe surprising, information tied to Mickelson’s gambling got here final month. An excerpt from Billy Walters’ new ebook “Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk” printed on Golf Digest, Walters, a former gambling accomplice of Mickelson’s, alleged the three-time Masters winner misplaced near $100 million and guess over $1 billion over the final 30 years.

Ryder Cup rookie Phil Mickelson with U.S. captain Lanny Wadkins during the 1995 Ryder Cup at Oak Hill

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Walters additionally alleged that Mickelson tried to put a $400,000 guess on the U.S. crew to win the 2012 Ryder Cup, which Mickelson was a member of. (Mickelson took to Twitter to say he “never bet on the Ryder Cup.”)

While Mickelson didn’t title Walters in his submit on Monday, he did say it’s necessary to by no means “confuse your enablers as friends like I did.”

“Hopefully you won’t have to deal with these difficult moments publicly so others can profit off you like I have,” he wrote. “But hopefully you WILL have a strong and supportive partner who is willing to help you through being your worst self, and through your worst moments like I have in Amy. She has loved me and supported me through my darkest and most difficult times. I couldn’t have gotten through this without her. I’m so grateful for her strength in helping us get through the many challenges I’ve created for us. Because of her love, support, and commitment, I’m back on track to being the person I want to be.”

“After many years of receiving professional help, not gambling, and being in recovery from my addictions, I’m now able to sit still, be present in the moment and live each day with an inner calm and peace,” he continued. “I still have a lot of cleaning up to do with those I love the most but I’m doing it slowly and as best I can. This football season and beyond, enjoy yourself with moderation so it doesn’t detract from your ability to be present. In my experience, the moments with the ones you love will be far more remembered than any bet you win or fantasy league triumph.”

You can learn Mickelson’s full submit beneath.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

Josh Berhow is the managing editor at GOLF.com. The Minnesota native graduated with a journalism diploma from Minnesota State University in Mankato. You can attain him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.




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