News

Mickelson rips 17-year-old for revealing wager amount

Published

8 years ago

Jan 29, 2016

By now, you’ve probably heard Phil Mickelson offer his take on the Ryan Ruffels story of a gentlemanly wager between the veteran and budding pro.

To recap, Ruffles told the Sydney Morning Herald:

“We get on the first tee, it’s pretty early in the morning and he says, ‘I don’t wake up this early to play for any less than $2500’,” Ruffels recalled of a friendly offer made to him by Mickelson.

The 42-time U.S. PGA Tour winner gave Ruffels 2-1 odds; if Ruffels won, Mickelson would give him $5000, if he lost, Ruffels would have to pay up $2500 when he turned professional.

“I was a few down through nine but then I birdied six of my last seven to win by one shot and took his money, so that was pretty cool,” Ruffels said with a laugh.

And while he backpedaled after the story hit the press, Phil Mickelson was none too happy with the 17-year-old’s loose lips, stating the wager amount had been exaggerated, and adding:

“He’s got some things to learn. One of them is you don’t discuss certain things. You don’t discuss specifics of what you play for. And you certainly don’t embellish and create a false amount just for your own benefit. So those things right there are — that’s high school stuff, and he’s going to have to stop doing that now that he’s out on the PGA Tour.”

Discussing the situation, Trent from Barstool Sports hits the nail on the head:

You pretty much never hear pro golfers discuss how much money they’re playing each other for. Do we wanna know? Of course we do. That’s part of the appeal. Hearing about rich people throwing their money around like it’s nothing always makes for a good story. But that doesn’t mean you go running your mouth to the media about how you took Lefty for four figures. Big no no. Gentlemen’s game means gentlemen’s agreements. You especially shouldn’t flap your gums like that when you indulge how much you actually won off the guy. All sorts of bad ideas from young Ryan Ruffels.

However, in the pantheon of gentlemanly conduct, isn’t there something about not talking about money in general? Or at the very least, not disclosing the ludicrous amount of cash you’re carrying, as Mickelson has done multiple times, most recently telling Golf Digest that he had $8,100 in his pocket.

So, for Mickelson, it’s OK that stories of your gambling are tour legend, just as long as the amounts wagered aren’t public knowledge? Shane Ryan wrote an article for ESPN last year titled “Money Matches with Phil Mickelson,” for goodness sake, detailing Phil’s Tuesday cash games.

Mickelson, as emissary of the tour’s unwritten rules, takes issue with Ruffles for discussing the amount of a wager (and seemingly embellishing that amount). And while from the tour pro’s conduct standpoint, he’s absolutely right that Ruffles talked about something that isn’t talked about, isn’t it somewhat odd and incongruent that stories of cash and gambling are so prevalent (especially involving Mickelson)?

Or am I missing something?

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33 Comments

Fran

Jul 25, 2020 at 9:23 am

This is Mr Smith. IRS agent. The bureau would like to sit with you and mr Nickolson to discuss reportable gambling winnings.

Reply Report comment
- BW
  
  Aug 6, 2020 at 3:57 am
  
  Why is Phil mad? It’s because he almost went to jail for insider trading. Why did he engage in insider trading? He owed his bookie money and “for example, according to a sworn statement by Mickelson’s business manager, on Sept. 19, 2012, Michelson paid Walters $1,950,000 to cover a debt ‘related to sports gambling.'” (from GolfDigest).
  So why would Phil risk everything for an insider trade that earned him $930,000 when he is worth hundreds of millions? Your guess is as good as mine, but he got off without going to jail (because he ratted out the bookie)–and I imagine the PGA told him “no more gambling.” So now a 17 year old tells the world that Phil is still gambling…and now you know why Phil may be angry…
  
  Reply Report comment
Dave

Jul 19, 2016 at 12:05 pm

Really this story is what CNN would post and talk about it all day. Goofy

Reply Report comment
Busterpar

Feb 3, 2016 at 10:27 am

Typical Figjam. Take the kid aside in private and talk to him in a classy manner…..but then there is no cameras around to capture that smarmy public grin.

Reply Report comment
Benny

Feb 2, 2016 at 7:23 pm

While we all agree if we had the cash Lefty does we would most likely all make bets like this. The issue is Phil made a dumb bet here. The kid is 17, what did he expect, that the kid was gonna keep his mouth shut and there is some code of honor when the kid was just in highschool weeks ago? Seriously Phil, use your brain. You wouldn’t buy a 17 yr old booze, you wouldn’t sleep with a 17yr old girl, you certainly don’t bring a 17yr old to a bar or casino so why in the world would you bet a 17yr that amount of cash and act like a prick about it when he blabs the story. Its a friggen kid guys, for real. Who cares what you “would” or “should” have done, he is a kid and Phil showed his ignorance. Even if the kid lied about the amounts (which we know wasn’t a lie).

Reply Report comment
- mc3jack
  
  Feb 6, 2016 at 2:07 pm
  
  Nailed it. Part of the wager was . . . “and I’m a 17 year old kid who’s gonna crow if you lose, FIGJAM.”
  
  Think anybody kept their mouth shut back in the day when pros like Hagen and everybody else made their living gambling against local Joes?
  
  What a douche.
  
  Reply Report comment
Other Paul

Feb 1, 2016 at 10:03 pm

Pretty sure if i beat “The lefty” then this lefty would be very ungentleman like and posted it to facebook.
But i probably wouldn’t have mentioned any money. I think the moral of the story is to never bet a cash amount but always a % of taxable income.

Reply Report comment
Johny Thunder

Feb 1, 2016 at 8:14 pm

I hope some of you are joking – about Phil’s gambling and needing a gun and bodyguard for his wallet. According to Forbes, Phil made $51 million in 2015.

The math is easy – if Phil loses $5000 gambling, that’s the equivalent to a person earning $100k/yr losing $10.

The correct answer is: discussing “money” is something that “gentlemen” do frequently. “Money”, though, more in the abstract. Discussing specific amounts like that is considered impolite. You’ll notice the announcers will say “xxx won a few dollars of xxx in the practice round”, where a few dollars could be over $10k.

Reply Report comment
Vito

Feb 1, 2016 at 6:18 pm

Calling a 17 year old out in the media is not exactly gentlemanly. Let’s call a spade a spade. Phil has some growing up to do himself.

Reply Report comment
ShankN3Jack

Feb 1, 2016 at 10:24 am

The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club.

Reply Report comment
Bob

Feb 1, 2016 at 9:39 am

Shady middle aged golf shark challenges teenagers to money games cries foul after they beat him.

Reply Report comment
Jeff*

Jan 31, 2016 at 4:19 pm

I have to say, first article that makes me feel old. There’s a clear generation understanding gap going on here. If you don’t see why Phil wasn’t pleased, you’re a child. If you sided with Phil, grown-up. Uh-oh, that’s gonna be trouble.

Reply Report comment
Jeff*

Jan 31, 2016 at 4:17 pm

All the Mickelson hate doesn’t change the fact that you just can’t buy cool, can’t buy class or “it.” I don’t read the same things in these articles most of you seem to anyway. If I won some money of a legend of the game, you’d simply never, ever hear me confirm or deny it. Let everyone else guess the numbers. The kid should have said, “I just played a round of golf with Phil Mickelson.” The money was Phils way of making him feel included, like a member of the club, and the kid blew it.

I would wager that all the Phil backlash comes from Ryan Ruffles aged kids who simply have no idea what he did wrong. You don’t have to exclude folks to have class. Like I was saying, it just can’t be taught. I guarantee Jordan Split never had the problem with keeping his mouth shut around the big boys.

Reply Report comment
ooffa

Jan 31, 2016 at 2:46 pm

Phil = degenerate gambler

Reply Report comment
moses

Jan 31, 2016 at 2:10 am

Poor form on the kid to reveal the bet amount etc but hey he’s 17. How mature were we at 17?
Really poor form on Phil betting $5000 with a minor.

Reply Report comment
- jakeanderson
  
  Jan 31, 2016 at 5:15 pm
  
  no. very poor behavior from mickleson. first he forces a wager upon a kid (is it even legal?), then the kid wins, tells the story and mickelson rips him? i say that shows what mickelsons values are.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Shawn M
  
  Sep 16, 2020 at 9:03 am
  
  Totally agree
  
  Reply Report comment
jakeanderson

Jan 30, 2016 at 5:56 am

very poor form from phickleson. first he takes a gamble and then he feels embarassed by it. boo!

Reply Report comment
christian

Jan 30, 2016 at 5:18 am

Isn’t gambling wholly un-gentlemanly in the first place?

Reply Report comment
K

Jan 30, 2016 at 2:31 am

Not a big deal. Good story, and Phil saying this is the worst thing he could have done. People make bets. Casino’s exist because of it.

Secondly, the amount? Not major. I played with a couple members who had $5000 presses going on.

Phil, if someone tells a story about you. Dear god, go with it.

Reply Report comment
Double Mocha Man

Jan 29, 2016 at 11:33 pm

If Phil is carrying $8000 cash I hope he’s also carrying a pistol and/or has a bodyguard.

Reply Report comment
Cares

Jan 29, 2016 at 10:28 pm

Ben,
I’ve ripped your articles before…but this was a good one. Keep up the good work

Reply Report comment
Lob Wege

Jan 29, 2016 at 7:57 pm

Another great rip off article. C’mon GolfWRX!

Reply Report comment
- MarkB A
  
  Jan 31, 2016 at 9:19 pm
  
  Typical Ben stuff.
  
  Reply Report comment
alexdub

Jan 29, 2016 at 2:31 pm

Good on Phil. I like that he took the time to educate the youngster. Once bitten, twice shy; right? Every tour player—Woods and Phil included—had to go through the learning process.

I don’t see the position he took as contradictory. Remember, cash gambling between individuals is against the law. From a legal stand point, saying ‘I have XXXX amount of money on me’, or, ‘I play cash games on Tuesdays’ is far different that saying ‘I played for $5k against this person on this day.’

Reply Report comment
Mike

Jan 29, 2016 at 2:01 pm

“Gentlemen’s game means gentlemen’s agreements.” Weird, wasn’t he was almost banned from Augusta National for not paying up on a bet to a member? Wonder where that falls in the “gentlemen’s rules”?

Reply Report comment
- Nick
  
  Feb 8, 2016 at 1:54 pm
  
  He was. My favorite Phil story of them all.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Yikes
  
  Sep 22, 2020 at 10:45 am
  
  Wasn’t that Augusta story an April Fool’s hoax?: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/phil-mickelson/
  
  Reply Report comment
Keith

Jan 29, 2016 at 1:21 pm

Kid has a lot to learn about the PGA tour, and of all people to have loose lips about it is Phil. He’s notorious for money matches, I’ve even heard stories of him making bets during tournament rounds with other pros. The thing is that they all do it, for them its like an average guy playing a 5 dollar Nassau but the kid needs to be hush about it. As far as amount bet on that round Phil is probably the one downplaying it he definitely won’t show up for less then 2500 lol

Reply Report comment
Matt

Jan 29, 2016 at 11:53 am

Doesn’t surprise me, Lefty’s had a gambling problem for years.

Reply Report comment
- Jay
  
  Jan 30, 2016 at 7:28 pm
  
  It’s not a problem if you’re worth millions. $5000 is loose change to him
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Mike
    
    Feb 8, 2016 at 1:56 pm
    
    What about the money laundering charges? Probably not related, I guess.
    
    Reply Report comment

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

Published

1 day ago

May 14, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.

While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.

General Albums

2024 PGA Championship – Monday #1

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue

Published

1 day ago

May 14, 2024

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the PGA Championship from iconic Valhalla.

1. Is now the time Rory finally ends major drought?

BBC’s Iain Carter…”But given the imperious form he showed in Charlotte last week, perhaps this is the PGA Championship to rekindle the ruthless streak of old. And not just because he is back at Valhalla (the Nordic word for the hall of the fallen).”

“It also became clear last week that McIlroy is somewhat persona non grata to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board. His views on a global future for this damagingly split sport do not seem to chime with the American dominated body.”

“His offer to return to the board from which he resigned earlier this year was rejected and he has been left as a mere non-voting member of the “transaction committee” dealing with a potential deal with Saudi Arabia.”

“McIlroy insists there are “no hard feelings” but there should be.”

“No player has worked harder for their sport during this period of unprecedented tumult and the board has rejected someone many people regard as the game’s most articulate and enlightened international voice.”

“Now is, surely, the time for McIlroy to feel slighted and respond with his clubs. Play as though he has a chip on his shoulder, but in the knowledge that he is generationally the most consistent golfing force out there.”

Full piece.

2. Scheffler in for PGA Champ after birth of child

Jaclyn Hendricks for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler and wife Meredith’s bundle of joy has arrived.”

“The couple welcomed their first child, just weeks after Scheffler claimed his second Masters victory in three years.”

“Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig tweeted Saturday that the baby was born and Scheffler will play in this week’s PGA Championship — the second major of the season.”

“There’s been nothing official from Scottie Scheffler, his team or the Tour… But word is he will be at Valhalla for the PGA next week after winning four of his last five tournaments, including the Masters. He is currently on the Tuesday interview schedule for 3:30 p.m. #babyborn,” Harig wrote over the weekend.”

Full piece.

3. “Erik van Rooyen, friends and family live in honor of ‘Trazzy’”

That’s the headline of Ryan Lavner’s superb piece on Erik van Rooyen and his departed best friend Jon Trasmar. An excerpt would be an injustice. Go read it!

Full piece.

4. Stricker out of PGA citing fatigue

AP report…”Steve Stricker decided Sunday to withdraw from the PGA Championship at Valhalla, citing the difficulty of playing four times in a span of five weeks.”

“Stricker, 57, was eligible by winning the Senior PGA Championship last year. He, John Daly and Phil Mickelson are the only players to have competed at Valhalla each of the previous three times the PGA Championship was held there.”

Full piece.

5. Why Valhalla is a great venue for major championships

Garrett Morrison for The Fried Egg…”But before we start slinging mud (of which there will be plenty in Kentucky this week), let’s pause to think about why Valhalla tends to generate close final-round battles featuring elite players. It’s not magic: the course has long par 3s and 4s, narrow fairways, and smallish greens surrounded by rough and bunkers. This style of design and setup, which practically defines the PGA Championship’s modern brand, gives an outsize advantage to a skill that many star players share: power. Length off the tee and the ability to muscle the ball out of rough to a well-protected green will be near-prerequisites for contending at this week’s PGA Championship. If Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau show up with any kind of short-game and putting form, they will be in the mix on Sunday. And the presence of such A-listers on the leaderboard will further burnish Valhalla’s reputation as a serious venue.“

“It does not follow, however, that Valhalla is a great golf course. In fact, I find it a fairly mediocre and bland one. Very few holes offer multiple options of the tee (the exceptions being the short par-4 fourth and the double-fairway par-5 seventh), most of the greens lack memorable contouring, and the recovery shots from around the fairways and greens are one-dimensional and repetitive. So even if Sunday turns out to be a barn-burner, the first three rounds, when the focus will be on the course and the shots demanded, will probably be sleepier, aside from the inevitable Blockie walk-and-talk.”

Full piece.

6. Dunne resigns from policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Jimmy Dunne, who last year helped negotiate the PGA Tour’s controversial framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, resigned from the tour’s policy board on Monday.”

“In Dunne’s resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Dunne wrote that “no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF” and that “my vote and my role is utterly superfluous” now that player directors outnumber independent directors on the policy board. Dunne’s resignation was effective immediately.”

“It is crucial for the Board to avoid letting yesterday’s differences interfere with today’s decisions, especially when they influence future opportunities for the tour,” Dunne wrote. “Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction.”

“Along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Dunne and policy board chairman Ed Herlihy secretly negotiated the framework agreement with the PIF, which is financing the rival LIV Golf League. Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced the deal on June 6. Most PGA Tour players — including some player directors — were unaware of the deal until it was announced on TV.”

Full piece.

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Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls

Published

2 days ago

May 13, 2024

Ronald Montesano

This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)

This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.

LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms

There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.

This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.

Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.

Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024

PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte

Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.

Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.

HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!

He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024

PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week

It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.

The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.

Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.

Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024

PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie

Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.

In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.

Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.

At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.

Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024

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