Phil Mickelson PGA Win Fueling US Open Betting, Lefty Major Liability for Sportsbooks

Posted on: June 14, 2021, 02:29h. 

Last updated on: June 14, 2021, 03:18h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
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Phil Mickelson made history on Kiawah Island at the PGA Championship last month when he became the oldest man to win a major. Now, with the world’s best players arriving in Southern California at Torrey Pines, a slew of golf bettors are hoping the nearly 51-year-old will deliver another round of heroics. 

Phil Mickelson odds US Open betting
Phil Mickelson is swarmed by fans on the 72nd hole of the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. Lefty, as he’s affectionately known, is a betting favorite for this week’s US Open. (Image: UPI)

Numerous sportsbooks are reporting large liabilities on Mickelson for this week’s US Open. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Along with Lefty fresh off his sixth major championship, Torrey Pines is where the World Golf Hall of Fame member grew up.

The San Diego native has won three times at Torrey Pines, but his last victory at the storied course came two decades ago in 2001. 

Lefty Largest Liability

BetMGM opened its US Open odds on Mickelson at 150/1. But following his PGA title and a rush of bets on the 50-year-old, that line has been cut to 50/1. 

Numerous other oddsmakers are also reporting heavy action on Mickelson. William Hill said that after Phil won the PGA on 200/1 odds, the book opened him at 85/1 for the US Open. Due to large amounts of wagers, he’s down to 45/1.

“There will be a seven-figure liability on him when this kicks off. He’s really close to leading in dollars, only [Brooks] Koepka has more. Tickets, it’s not even close, he’s got the most,” revealed Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill US. 

“I think the only bigger liability in a recent golf major was when Tiger [Woods] was coming back from all those injuries and won the [2019] Masters,” Bogdanovich added.

At BetMGM, the book says Mickelson is responsible for 9.9 percent of the money wagered. Only Jon Rahm has more at 10.5 percent. In terms of tickets, Mickelson’s name is on six percent of the slips, trailing only Koepka at 6.2 percent. 

Golf analysts, however, aren’t sold on Mickelson winning the US Open, which would cap off the career grand slam for the veteran. 

“I’d put his chances at extremely slim,” opined Golf.com Senior Editor Sean Zak. “Lightning struck once at Kiawah. It was amazing. Torrey will play incredible different.” 

Who Oddsmakers Favor

The general consensus among the books is that Rahm is the front-runner. He has the shortest odds at William Hill, BetMGM, SuperBook, FoxBet, Unibet, and BetRivers. All have him at 10/1. FanDuel has Lefty slightly shorter at 19/2. 

Rahm held a six-shot lead in the third round at the Memorial Tournament earlier this month before he was forced to withdraw because of testing positive for COVID-19. 

After Rahm, William Hill’s front-runners include Koepka (12/1), Dustin Johnson (14/1), Xander Schauffele (15/1), and Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Bryson DeChambeau — each at 20/1. 

Those players — Schauffele being the lone exception — have US Open titles to their resumes. Koepka is a two-time US Open winner, while DeChambeau is the defending champ. 

Many golf fans are hoping Koepka and DeChambeau are paired together at some point this week, as the two have plenty of recent bad blood in what’s become a rather ugly — albeit entertaining — back and forth on social media.