2021 US Open golf odds: Phil Mickelson heavy betting action to win leaves sportsbooks very exposed on Lefty

Even the casual golf fan is likely well aware that World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson has failed to win the U.S. Open to complete the rare career Grand Slam – coming in second a record six times. Lefty comes off a shocking victory last month at the PGA Championship, though, and bettors at William Hill Sportsbook are destroying Mickelson futures odds at William Hill Sportsbook to win the 121st U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. He's still a +4000 longer-shot, however.

The biggest bet on Mickelson to win the U.S. Open was from Nevada well before the PGA Championship when Lefty was +8500. Said bettor put down $2,100 on Mickelson for a total potential payout of $180,600.

Eight percent of all tickets sold, easily the biggest number, to win the tournament are on Mickelson. Second is Collin Morikawa (+2200) at five percent. Betting favorite Jon Rahm (+1000) is at four percent. Meanwhile, nine percent of all dollars wagered to win are on Mickelson, tied with Brooks Koepka (+1200) for the most.

"Mickelson is leading tickets by a landslide now and he's got the most money now too," said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. "The liability is at seven figures and counting. You'd think the lower number on Mickelson would slow them down, but that hasn't been the case at all. I think this will end up going past the Tiger [Woods] number at the [2019] Masters."

Only Tiger Woods has arguably had more success at Torrey Pines than Mickelson as Lefty grew up in San Diego and knows the municipal track well. He has won the regular PGA Tour event there, the Farmers Insurance Open, three times – albeit not since 2001. He finished T53 this past winter. Mickelson tees off at 10:51 a.m. ET Thursday on the 10th tee.

In the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines won by Woods, Mickelson was T18. He has not come close to contending at a U.S. Open since his most recent second-place finish in 2013 at Merion in Pennsylvania. Since then, his best result is T28, and he missed the cut last year at Winged Foot in New York. To miss the cut this week, he's +120 and to make it -162.

Mickelson, who turned 51 on Wednesday, is not even the favorite to be the highest-finishing lefty. He's +300 along with Brian Harman behind Garrick Higgo (+225), a European Tour player who got his first PGA Tour win last week and has three wins worldwide in his past five starts. It's Higgo's first U.S. Open.

"We're not selling any tickets on Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau," Bogdanovich said. "Those four big guys mainly, we're okay with Jordan Spieth as well. I get it, the dollars had to go somewhere. Rory, JT and DeChambeau are all in bad form. Spieth doesn't match up well with this course. DJ played well last week, I'm surprised his odds are so high and he isn't drawing much."

The first groups are off the 1st and 10th tees at 9:45 ET this morning. 

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