5 golfers famous for their love of gambling

Modified Jun 28, 2023 19:38 GMT

Golfers are often found gambling for their enjoyment or to earn some quick money

Golfers are no strangers to gambling. Just like other sporting superstars, there have been some big names in golf who are known for their gambling passion.

From Ben Hogan to Phil Mickelson, golfers have enjoyed gambling to earn some quick dollars. However, earning money is not always the main motive. Sometimes, golfers gamble for fun as well.

Today, we will look at five golfers who have been notorious for their gambling habits.

#1 Sandy Lyle

Sandy Lyle is a two-time major champion and has 30 professional wins under his belt. However, there was one more thing he was good at. The former Olympian was an avid gambler and quite addicted to it. As per a few reports, he bet more than $2.2 million over several years.

#2 Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson has admitted in the past that he was addicted to gambling. He even went on to say he used to hide his credit card from his wife because he was wasting too much money on gambling.

Several reports claimed that Mickelson lost more than $40 million from 2010-2014.

#3 Lee Trevino

Lee Trevino has won several championships on the PGA Tour, including six major championships.

In 1982, he made a $500K bet on himself, and the amount was donated to charity. Trevino once shared the story of a bet he used to make on Tuesday rounds of practice. He was quoted as saying via Action Network:

"When we played, we always played on Tuesday for a little something to make it interesting. We played match play, never medal, and the reason we did that is because every once in a while, we’d want to hit a shot into a bunker to test the sand.

"I used to play with Lon Hinkle and Frank Conner every Tuesday, and I’d beat ‘em out of $20 apiece. Everyone made fun of them about playing me for 20 bucks, but they told them, 'Yeah, but where are you going to get a lesson like this for $20?'"

#4 John Daly

John Daly is one of the most interesting personalities on the PGA Tour. Be it his style, off-field antics, or drinking habits, Daly is always on the news.

The two-time major champion is also one of the heavy gamblers. Daly had once revealed that he had spent $50–$60 million on gambling. He once experienced a loss of $1.65 million after playing the slots at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

#5 Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest golfer ever, and he wins at gambling as well. Woods likes to play poker and blackjack and has often been seen at the Wynn Las Vegas & Encore Resort and Atlantis Bahamas.

Earlier this year, Tiger Woods was quoted as saying that betting was part of golf. He was quoted as saying via the Irish Examiner:

"Wagering is part of our sport, part of our culture. We don’t know how to play golf without it."

According to a few reports, Woods once won more than $1 million at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Edited by Akshay Saraswat