Wagers Gone Wrong
British Open 2024: Phil Mickelson has to do this at Royal Troon after losing YouTube golf bet
Phil Mickelson is "not a gambling man" anymore, something he confirmed with a fan at this year's PGA Championship. That's probably the best considering his past, but that also doesn't mean he can't make the occasional friendly wager on the course. Unfortunately for him, though, one of those recently went against him. And now it's time to pay up. In the form of . . . pants? Yep, pants.
The six-time major champ took on popular YouTube Golfer Grant Horvat in a match that was released on their respective channels this week. The stakes? If Mickelson won, Horvat would have to buy a year's supply of the golfer's For Wellness coffee for a fan. If Horvat won, Mickelson would have to wear joggers at this week's Open Championship. SPOILER ALERT: Horvat won.
Now, just a slight asterisk here. Horvat started the match up five shots, a number of strokes he typically gets when he plays against a top tour pro like Jon Rahm or Sergio Garcia. Mickelson tried to negotiate that down due to his age, but eventually caved in, in part because they were playing at Phil's home course of Rancho Santa Fe. It should also be noted that Phil just decided before the match to try out a shorter backswing. Classic Phil. Anyway, you can watch both parts of the match below:
Now, it could have been worse. Had Horvat hit the target score of 70 that Mickelson set before the match, Phil would have had to wear joggers for all four days at Royal Troon. Instead, Horvat shot 75 to Phil's 72. It's unclear which round Mickelson will rock them, but here's how he looked wearing normal pants during Tuesday's practice round:
Luke Walker/R&A
As Mickelson points out, a 54-year-old wearing joggers—at the oldest golf tournament in the world, no less—is an odd look. That being said, this is a man who once wore a binder clip on his hat at the same tournament because his hat was too big.
Don't worry, Phil. There's no way joggers will look worse than that.
UPDATE: Phil and his new joggers have showed up to Royal Troon:
Not bad, Phil. Not bad.
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