Phil Mickelson has a fan who has pushed, if not all his chips, a good chunk of them on the left-hander to win the 120th U.S. Open next week at Winged Foot Golf Club.
On Thursday, a bettor placed a $45,000 wager on Mickelson to win at 75/1 (+7500) odds at one of William Hill’s Southern Nevada Sports Books. If Mickelson claims his sixth major, and first U.S. Open after six heart-breaking runner-up finishes on Sunday, September 20, the bettor would reap a net win of $3,375,000. The wager represents the second-largest liability for an individual golf wager place in the U.S. in William Hill history.
When informed of the wager after his second round at the Safeway Open, Mickelson said, “I’m going to play hard for him but play hard for me first. I hope we both come out winners.”
Later, Mickelson hopped on his Twitter feed and posted the following: “Heard someone place 45k on me to win the open at 75-1 (pays 3.3 mil) Hoping for both of us I have a 3 shot lead on 18 tee.”
Heard someone place 45k on me to win the open at 75-1 (pays 3.3 mil)
Hoping for both of us I have a 3 shot lead on 18 tee.— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 12, 2020
Mickelson’s self-deprecating humor is a reference to his double bogey at the final hole at Winged Foot in 2006, which blew his one-stroke lead and led to his fourth of six second-place finishes at the U.S. Open.
Mickelson also relied on humor to downplay one of golf’s most memorable collapses in a commercial for a Callaway Golf promotion in which he ends the ad saying, “When have I ever let you down at Winged Foot?”
Mickelson, 50, recently won his debut on the PGA Tour Champions and finished T-2 at the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational. He would become the oldest player to win a major if he were to do so.
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