Did Phil Mickelson join LIV Golf to recover his gambling debt?

US golfer Phil Mickelson is one of the finest golfers in the business. He has won six major tournament championships and 45 PGA Tour titles. He won the PGA Championship in 2021 at the age of 50 years, 11 months, and seven days, making him the oldest player to win the competition.

In 2022, the three-time Masters winner defected to the controversial LIV Golf series, reportedly for a whopping signing amount of $200 million. Mickelson was the most expensive player to join the league in its debut season.

The upgrade in his pay cheque instantly propelled him up the ladder to become the second richest golfer this year. His net worth this year was estimated to be around $300 million despite losing major sponsors after joining the Saudi-backed league.

While his defection from the PGA Tour was shocking and grabbed headlines, something even more shocking was revealed by biographer Alan Shipnuck in May this year. According to him, Mickelson had lost almost $40 million because of gambling a few years back.

This news made many wonder if that was the reason behind him leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. There's a strong possibility that Mickelson joined the LIV Golf series to repay his hefty gambling debts.

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"My gambling got to a point of being reckless and embarrassing" - Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson at the LIV Golf Invitational - Miami - Day One (Image via Eric Espada/Getty Images)

US golfer Phil Mickelson has been struggling with gambling addiction for very long. In fact, it even got to a point where he set bets with fellow competitors while on the course. He often bet during the practice rounds of tournaments to "create competition". That caused him to lose huge sums of money.

Earlier this year, he opened up about his gambling addiction to Bob Harig in an interview with Sports Illustrated. He said that it became "reckless" and "embarrassing." Lefty even went to therapy for it, saying:

"My gambling got to a point of being reckless and embarrassing. I had to address it. And I’ve been addressing it for a number of years. And for hundreds of hours of therapy. I feel good where I’m at there. My family and I and have been financially secure for some time."

He added that he has been into gambling since a long time, but it was only a decade ago that it became reckless.

"Gambling has been part of my life ever since I can remember. But about a decade ago is when I would say it became reckless. It’s embarrassing. I don’t like that people know. The fact is I’ve been dealing with it for some time."

Now Phil Mickelson seems to be in a better place in terms of his gambling addiction.