Jordan Spieth Stopped Himself From Commenting on Wild Phil Mickelson Betting Allegations Mid-Answer

Spieth had something to say about Mickelson’s stunning gambling claims—until he pivoted his answer completely.

In the wake of the stunning gambling allegations made about Phil Mickelson in Billy Walters’s book, Jordan Spieth had a few things to say—until he didn’t. 

Spieth, who shot a 63 in the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Thursday, briefly addressed the Mickelson claims at the end of his post-round interview in Memphis before pivoting his answer completely. 

The book excerpt, first published by The Fire Pit Collective, details Mickelson’s $100 million gambling losses and his attempt to wager on the 2012 Ryder Cup, in which he was set to compete.

Mickelson denied betting on the Ryder Cup. 

In light of the claims, a reporter asked Spieth to describe the locker room chatter among the players when the explosive details began to circulate. 

“I mean, I would say people were maybe a bit surprised at the amount of—I haven’t really seen a whole lot on it. I just saw what some people sent me and stuff, and it was so quick this morning that even if I wanted to comment, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Spieth said. 

It’s almost as if you can see the gears churning in Spieth’s head as he decided whether to continue commenting. The three-time major champion looked like he was going to offer something substantive, until quickly he didn't. 

Pretty hilarious watching Jordan Spieth start to answer this Phil Mickelson question and then absolutely jam on the brakes halfway through pic.twitter.com/SvofUWLqTY

— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) August 11, 2023

At the beginning of his answer, Spieth was likely pointing to the specific figures that Mickelson’s longtime betting partner reported of his gambling-heavy years. 

Walters, who was sentenced to five years in prison for insider trading, wrote that between 2010 and ’14 Mickelson bet $110,000 a total of 1,115 times and $220,000 on 858 occasions. 

But Spieth quickly stopped himself from going into such details, admitting that it wasn’t a “good idea.” 

Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, did not hold back at all when commenting on the allegations against Mickelson, specifically the 2012 Ryder Cup claims. 

“At least he can bet on the Ryder Cup this year because he won’t be a part of it,” McIlroy said.