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Simone Biles Is Now the Most Decorated Gymnast Ever

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Simone Biles

Simone Biles made history this weekend, as she officially became the most decorated gymnast of all time.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist competed in this year’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium, where she was awarded her sixth all-around world championship gold last Friday. With this win, the 26-year-old broke the record of the most medals won by a gymnast in history with 34 total. As the tournament concluded on Sunday, Biles extended her record to a total of 37 medals.

Following Friday’s win, Biles was captured getting misty-eyed as she stood on the podium during the U.S. national anthem, alongside silver winner Rebeca Andrade and bronze winner Shilese Jones.

“I was emotional because it was my first worlds here, 10 years ago, and then now my sixth one, so it’s crazy,” she told reporters in a post-competition interview. “But I swear, I do have something in my eye that’s been bothering me for like four hours and I cannot get it out… So while I was looking up there, it was like a combination of both.”

Yesterday, the GOAT shared a celebratory message on Instagram, along with photos of herself and her teammates hugging and cheering during the tournament.

Simone Biles

“team finals 🤍 it was an interesting & unexpected night! I’m so proud of the fight Team USA put out 🇺🇸 It’s such a blessing to represent the US at another World Championships!” she wrote.

“SO PROUD 🔥❤️ Love being able to watch you do your thing 🤞🏽,” Biles’s husband, NFL star Jonathan Owens, commented on his wife’s post.

Biles’s triumphant return to gymnastics this summer came after the athlete stepped back from competition following the Tokyo Olympics back in 2021. She said at the time that her “mind and body” were “simply not in sync,” and that she needed to work on her well-being and mental health. Last August, she returned to the floor and came out the all-around winner, at the Core Hydration Classic.

She wrote on Twitter at the time, “happy to be back out on the floor! this journey has been a rollercoaster of emotions. thank you for believing in me. 🫶🏾”

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Simone Biles: ‘Real Talk I Didn’t Think’ I’d Compete Again After 2021 Tokyo Olympics

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Simone Biles

After a triumphant return to competition this weekend at the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships, Simone Biles admitted she wasn’t sure this moment would ever come.

Responding to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the time when no one was sure she would compete again, Biles wrote, “real talk I didn’t think so either” after she had to withdraw from multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics.

Biles was scheduled to compete in the team competition, individual all-around, vault, uneven bars, floor exercise and balance beam at the 2020 Olympics. She withdrew from five events to focus on her mental health.

One day before the team final, Biles wrote on Instagram she felt “like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times.”

Biles was able to compete in the finals of the balance beam, winning a bronze medal.

Simone Biles

After the Olympics, Biles took a hiatus from competition. USA Gymnastics announced on June 28 the 26-year-old was going to participate in the United States Classic scheduled for Aug. 5.

Biles won the national title for a record-breaking eighth time with a combined score of 118.450, nearly four full points better than the runner-up (Shilese Jones: 114.550). She qualified for the World Championships in September.

In her first appearance at the World Championships since 2019, Biles medaled in five different events. She won gold in the team competition, individual all-around, balance beam and floor exercise.

Biles’ 37 combined medals in the Olympics and World Championships is the most for an individual in gymnastics history. She has won 30 medals at the World Championships, 10 more than any other female gymnast (Svetlana Khorkina).

Last month, Biles told NBC’s TODAY show she “would love to go” to Paris for the 2024 Olympics. The U.S. Olympic trials will take place in Minneapolis from June 27-30. The five-woman gymnastics team will be announced after that event.

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Simone Biles caps dominant world championships with two more

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Simone Biles

After the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Simone Biles’s future in gymnastics was in limbo. The lingering question was not whether she would return to greatness but if she would even want to try. Biles took a year away from the sport and then, with little self-generated fanfare, launched a comeback. That led to this past week’s triumphs, a brilliant showing at the world championships that left no doubt: Simone Biles is back.

Biles thrived under pressure and capped her run Sunday with two more gold medals. In the last women’s events — the beam and floor finals — Biles showcased the same superb routines that she had all week and has for years. She will leave here with five medals, including four golds, and with the newly minted status as the most decorated gymnast in history.

But for Biles, this competition was more about what she proved to herself — and to others. She showed she could handle the stress of a major event and that the trouble she had with a mental block at the Tokyo Olympics wouldn’t repeat itself. She showed she’s as capable of being her best version as her past self.

“I wasn’t too worried about medal count or medal color this meet,” Biles said Sunday, adding that she had talked about goals with teammate Joscelyn Roberson and her objective was simple. “As long as I get out there, do those routines again, it’s a win in my book. It doesn’t matter if I end up on the podium or not. That’s not something I care about.”

Yet as she performed her difficult routines without mistakes, Biles returned to the podium again and again.

She finished the meet with a floor routine packed with powerful tumbling. She stepped out of bounds on one pass, but her high difficulty score provided the cushion she needed for gold. Rebeca Andrade, Biles’s top challenger, had stronger execution but couldn’t pass Biles, who scored a 14.633. Andrade (14.500) shared the podium with fellow Brazilian Flavia Saraiva (13.966), a 24-year-old who had never won an individual medal at the world championships.

Andrade continues to compete closely with Biles for gold on several apparatuses, which has required the American to be at her best to land atop the podium. In this final, if Biles had stepped out of bounds with both feet instead of one, she would have finished second.

Before this trip to Belgium, Biles had performed in just two official competitions — the U.S. Classic, where she made her season debut, and then the two-day national championships — since the Tokyo Games. This time, faced with a week-long global event, Biles excelled again. She performed 16 times — four routines on each apparatus — and made just one major mistake. That came on vault with her very difficult Yurchenko double pike; she rolled backward with too much power, a fall that led to her only silver.

“I’m not mad about it at all,” Biles said, adding that it’s better to have too much power than not enough.

The beam final featured four past world or Olympic champions: Biles (2014, 2015 and 2019), Japan’s Urara Ashikawa (2021), Germany’s Pauline Schaefer-Betz (2017) and the Netherlands’ Sanne Wevers (2016). A pair of newcomers from China, Zhou Yaqin and Zhang Qingying, can be excellent, and Zhou earned a difficulty score in the final that matched Biles’s mark.

So Biles needed a strong routine to contend for this gold, and she delivered. Every element was secure. Biles’s best beam routine of the world championships finished with a full-twisting double tuck dismount that had only a small hop. With a 14.800, she edged Zhou by one-tenth, meaning even a tiny mistake would have changed the outcome. While Biles had no lapses in balance, Zhou bent slightly at the hips after completing a full-twisting jump, and that error probably cost her the top spot on the podium.

Andrade claimed bronze with a 14.300. American Shilese Jones would have been in medal contention with her best routine, but she fell on her dismount and landed in seventh. Jones had another opportunity to medal on floor and turned in a strong routine, but she finished in fifth.

Another silver for Young

Khoi Young’s impressive debut at the world championships ended with another silver medal, this time on vault. He stuck both vaults as the first competitor, and his 14.849 was topped only by Britain’s Jake Jarman (15.050). Young, a 20-year-old from Bowie, Md., already had a silver medal on pommel horse and a bronze in the team competition.

It was a breakthrough world championships for the American men, who claimed four medals. The U.S. team previously had won at least four medals at the world championships just once (2013) over the past four decades.

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Simone Biles wins something more important than medals at world championships

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Simone Biles

 The medals, and the colors of them, were irrelevant.

Yes, Simone Biles is leaving these world championships with a fistful of them, four of them gold. Her real prize, though, can’t be quantified on a scoreboard or a stat sheet. It’s how she feels, and the confidence she takes from returning to a place that, not all that long ago, she doubted she would.

Doubted she could.

“I had to prove to myself that I could still get out here, twist. (I wanted to) prove all the haters wrong, that I’m not a quitter,” Biles said Sunday night. “As long as I’m out there twisting again, having and finding the joy for gymnastics again, who cares?”

The world championships were Biles’ first meet since the Tokyo Olympics, where rising anxiety caused by lofty expectations on her and the isolation of COVID restrictions brought on a case of “the twisties.” Unable to tell where she was in the air and unwilling to risk her physical safety, she withdrew from all but one final.

Biles returned for the balance beam final and won a bronze medal.

But the twisties, and the emotional scars from them, lingered. Are still there, actually.

Even though she returned to the gym, Biles didn’t decide to compete until May. And those first competitions, the U.S. Classic and national championships, were individual ones.

Worlds was the first time since Tokyo she’d participate in a team final, which is where the twisties surfaced. It also would require her to be away from home, and the routines and many of the people that help keep her grounded, for several weeks.

Though Biles said she was nervous before the team final, she made it through. Better than that, she appeared relaxed and happy throughout the competition, seeming to enjoy being around the other gymnasts and getting showered with love from the crowds.

“She needed it for herself and she missed it,” coach Laurent Landi said. “Now I think she feels much better about what she has accomplished. And not just on the field of play but outside the gym as well, and to be able to perform the way she did.

“It’s the process that’s more important than the result.”

Simone Biles.

That was the point of it all.

Sure, her all-around title made Biles the most-decorated gymnast in history, male or female, and she now has a staggering 37 medals from the world championships and Olympics. But she now has good memories from here to diminish the bad ones from Tokyo.

Her experience in Tokyo will always be part of her. We are the sum total of our lives, and it’s impossible to appreciate our best moments without the context we have from our worst. But what happened in Tokyo no longer has to be at the forefront of Biles’ mind.

When she thinks of a team final, she can envision her spectacular floor routine, arguably the best she’s ever done. Which, given the sixth title she won on that event Sunday, is saying something. When she thinks of twisting, she can picture herself here in Antwerp, and how much fun she had doing it. When she thinks of the expectations, she can remember how ecstatic fans here were to have her back.

We all have doubts, Landi said. It’s what we do with them that matters, and Biles faced hers here and came out stronger.

“If you keep remembering what happened in Tokyo, it’s not good for you. So you want to take that away from your brain. It’s just a fluke,” Landi said. “I think emotionally and mentally, she can handle it better than she did. Because now you know that (this performance) can happen. Before you didn’t know, so you need to protect yourself against all of this.”

Biles is hesitant to talk too much about next summer’s Paris Olympics. She said in a TODAY show interview last month “that’s the path I would love to go,” but not looking too far ahead has worked well for her so far in this comeback. So, too, prioritizing herself.

Biles has been at this long enough to know people will see what she did at these worlds and start putting her on all of the podiums in Paris. But that’s them, not her. She’s just happy to be doing gymnastics again and even happier to be having fun doing gymnastics again.

“As long as I get out there, do those routines again, it’s a win in my book,” Biles said. “It doesn’t matter if I end up on the podium or not.”

The medals are nice. The peace of mind she won here is even more precious.

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REAL TRUTH MAY NEVER BE KNOWN’ – GARBINE MUGURUZA FEARS PENG SHUAI MAY NOT BE ABLE ‘TO TALK FREELY’

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Garbine Muguruza

“I think it’s going to be very difficult to find a real truth and for her to be able to talk freely” – Spanish world number three Garbine Muguruza is unsure whether the truth will eve be known over what happened to Peng Shuai as headlines around the world move on from the Chinese star’s disappearance from public life and subsequent reappearance three weeks later.

Garbine Muguruza has admitted she fears the ‘real truth’ about what happened to Peng Shuai may never be known.
Former Wimbledon and Roland Garros doubles champion Peng alleged on social media in November that she had been forced into sex during a long-term on-off relationship with vice-premier Zhang Gaoli.
But her post was deleted and censored before she disappeared from public. She reappeared three weeks but doubts remain over how free she really is.
And world number three Muguruza believes the world may never know the truth under the circumstances
“Are we going to know something about this? I don’t know, I think it’s a complicated country to deal with,” Muguruza told reporters ahead of the Australian Open, where Peng will be absent.
Garbine Muguruza
“It’s a little bit not moving forward, I feel. It’s just there since months and months.
“It seemed like for a moment, okay, we’re going to find out what’s happening.
The WTA announced in December that they would immediately suspend all tournaments in China and Hong Kong, as concerns continue to mount over the safety and well-being of Peng Shuai.
And Muguruza believes that was absolutely the right decision while uncertainty remains over Peng’s safety.
“I feel like this is something that the WTA has done great,” added Muguruza.
“I think they’ve showed a lot of courage and character by supporting these and taking these strong decisions.”
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Muguruza laments fadeouts as extreme heat hits Melbourne

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Garbine Muguruza

Garbine Muguruza has lamented her pattern of fading away in the final set of matches, the two-time major winner struggling in Melbourne’s extreme heat on Tuesday and exiting the Australian Open early.

Muguruza described her 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 loss to seeded Belgian Elise Mertens, before the Open’s extreme heat policy came into play, as “really tough”.

The Spaniard experienced cramp in the lopsided deciding set on Margaret Court Arena but, regardless, her capacity to close out matches is firmly front of mind.

A Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion, Muguruza has lost her past eight deciding sets in a pattern that goes back 12 months. More worrying, five of those fadeouts have been sets decided 6-1 since last year’s Indian Wells.

“[It was] tough because I thought I had a moment to close the match and I didn’t do it, and that gave her a huge boost,” said Muguruza of the frustrating defeat.

“I lost my momentum there in the second set, clearly in the third set she was more fired up and I was physically struggling more.

“It’s difficult to lose first round. It’s never easy to accept it.”

The Australian Open implemented the final stage of its heat policy, suspending matches on outside courts, not long after 2pm.

With the tournament’s heat stress scale reaching ‘five’ – the highest measurement on the scale since the policy was overhauled before the 2019 tournament – play was suspended on the outside courts.

Garbine Muguruza

It any case, it was too late for world No.73 Muguruza, a star who rose to the top ranking in 2017 and, on this trip to Melbourne, acknowledged she felt the pinch as the temperature rose sharply.

“I wasn’t expecting today to suffer on court, and [that] the heat was going to be there,” she said.

“Definitely the match was intense, but I think nerves and tiredness affected me in the third set.”

Muguruza also dropped the third set 6-1 to Canadian Bianca Andreescu in Adelaide two weeks ago.

“I think I’m struggling to have opportunities to close [out matches],” she said.

“You kind of feel like you have it, but no, and obviously the other one [your opponent] becomes stronger.

“I definitely have to find a way to be more competitive in those moments when my opponent is bringing the highest level of the match.”

On a day of largely expected results in the bottom half of the women’s singles, leading chances Aryna Sabalenka and Caroline Garcia had clinical wins, while Anett Kontaveit and American Shelby Rogers won through.

Australian wildcard Kimberley Birrell stirred things up by eliminating Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi.

World No.4 Garcia was only on court for 65 minutes in beating Canadian qualifier Katherine Sebov – barely enough time to get knocked around by the heat.

The WTA Finals champion said conditions on centre court were warm but “felt okay”.

“I have to admit on the Rod Laver it was pretty nice,” said the Frenchwoman.

“Obviously it was warm. It was nice to be able to walk in the shadow a little bit when you were able to serve, but I didn’t feel that such warm weather.

“I don’t know in the crowd there is some AC or whatever, but it felt warm, but it felt okay.”

World No.5 Belarusian Sabalenka got her campaign running in style, defeating Czech Tereza Martincova 6-1, 6-4 in 69 minutes.

A title-winner in Adelaide already this year, Sabalenka said she was feeling good after results over the past year.

“I think just because of the last year and because I was struggling with a lot of things, and just because I was able to fix all the problems I was facing last year,” she said.

“And of course after a title, of course I felt like a little bit more, I mean, confidence. Yeah, I mean, if
that’s the word.

“But I just feel that I have everything in my pocket, and I just have to show that.”

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Joshua To Plug In For IBF Heavyweight Title Clash

By
Anthony Joshusa

Few days ago, Fury and Usyk announced that they would take each other in a battle for the undisputed heavyweight champion, due to be held either on December 23 or in January.

Between them, the pair hold all four of men’s heavyweight world titles with Fury the current WBC champion and Usyk holding WBA, IBF and WBO belts.

According to ESPN, there was a two-way rematch clause confirming a second bout between the two, it opens up a possibility for Joshua to fight for the IBF title.

The rematch clause will allow the loser of Fury versus Usyk to force a second fight, but this will not be an undisputed bout.

Undefeated Croatian Filip Hrgovic is the current IBF mandatory challenger and is already overdue his shot at the title.

The winner of the first fight between Fury and Usyk has been ordered by the sanctioning body to defend against the dangerous unbeaten Croatian next, with no exceptions.

With the rematch clause meaning the two greats will fight again, Hrgovic will have to fight the next best ranked contender for the IBF world title and currently, this is Joshua who is coming off the back of a brutal knock-out win over Robert Helenius.

Looming Joshua/Wilder Bout

At present, Joshua is trying to negotiate a fight with American powerpuncher Deontay Wilder, with promotor Eddie Hearn even hinting the bout could happen on the same night as Fury versus Usyk.

However should this not come through, Joshua could take on Hrgovic for a world title belt.

Hearn, who said the much talked about Joshua-Deontay Wilder fight is much bigger, added that the Hrgovic fight comes with a world title.

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“The Stadium Is Going to Be Filled”: Despite Being Called Out for Being Two-Faced, Shakur Stevenson Contemplates “Amazing” Fight With Gervonta Davis

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Gervonta Tank Davis

It’s been a long wait for the former super featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson as he has been unable in his attempts to secure a bout, despite being such a huge name. Finally, after seven months, he will be having his second fight in the lightweight division. He is going to face Dominican Edwin De Los Santos on November 16th at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.

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What’s interesting is that prior to making this fight, he had a lot of prospects, including some of the biggest names in the sport right now. One of which was Gervonta Davis, the young boxer who, earlier this year, ended the undefeated streak of Ryan Garcia. So what does Stevenson have to say about the potential bout?

Shakur Stevenson on potential Gervonta Davis fight

Stevenson and Gervonta Davis have been great friends for a long time. They have even sparred together previously, however, the harmonious relationship between them is long gone now. Davis had stated that Stevenson liked to “throw shots, then want to buddy-buddy.” ‘Tank’ appeared to be tired of his behavior and decided to end their friendship. As for ‘Sugar’, he is looking for a mega fight between him and Davis. Moreover, he even rated Davis higher than Devin Haney as the best in the lightweight division.

Recently, in an interview with Fight Hub TV, he talked about how huge the fight between him and Davis could be. He stated, “I think me and Tank, we going to do big numbers, I think when that fight happens, just because of the hype and the world going to want to see it- the best versus the best. I think the stadium is going to be filled, I can’t tell you how big the numbers are going to be but I think it’s going to be amazing.” Stevenson seemed completely sure that a fight between him and Davis would be enough to draw and fill

Gervonta-Davis-Shakur-Stevenson

Why is it that Stevenson is not pushing Davis to fight as of now?

If the fight would be such a huge success, then why is the former champion not looking to cash in right now? In an interview on Million Dollaz Worth of Game, Stevenson answered the question. According to him, the offer needs to come from Davis’ side since he is the bigger star.

Shakur stated, “I’m going to tell you the truth – I’m not Tank, he’s the big star, he’s the PPV star. I can’t throw no offers to Tank. Who am I to throw offers to the biggest star in boxing? That would have to be on their part to wanna do that. I would love that fight, I think that’s the best fight in boxing and I wanna prove to the world who I truly am.”

As of now, he just plans on getting the now-vacant WBC lightweight title as Haney moves up to a higher division. Although the chances of a bout between the two seem low as of now, it may come to fruition in the future.

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“Y’all Need to Take That Mess Outside”: Floyd Mayweather’s Protege Curmel Moton Dancing in Gym Following Debut Win Draws Mixed Reactions From Fans

By
Curmel Moton

Floyd Mayweather’s protege announced his arrival in style. He secured a devastating round-one KO over Ezequiel Flores, backing Mayweather’s pre-fight endorsement. While audiences at the T-Mobile Arena were impressed with his boxing skills, the 17-year-old, 18-time NB champion did not earn many admirers with his follow-up post. Were boxing purists upset with his steps, or just saddened to see CM grooving to the beats in the sanctity of his gym?

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This is not the first time Curmel Moton’s name has cropped up in boxing circles. Genuine prodigy or a hyped-up name? Time will tell, but there is no denying that he is the talk of the town today.

Who is Curmel Moton, and why is there a buzz surrounding him?

Floyd Mayweather has predicted that Curmel Moton “will be a millionaire within 24 months”. But Mayweather is not the only one who is impressed with Moton. Back in 2015, he was seen training with ‘the tank,’ Gervonta Davis. He has an impressive amateur record of 48 victories with only two defeats. Also, as mentioned earlier, he has also won 18 national titles. Moton even got special permission for his professional fight from the Nevada State Athletic Commission before his 18th birthday. Shakur Stevenson has also compared his style to Naoyo Inoue, the former undisputed bantamweight champion.

Everything seems to point towards greatness in the making. But unfortunately, the latest buzz is not about his achievements. It is about his celebration after winning the fight against Flores.

How did the fans react to Curmel Moton?

In a video posted by Fight Hype.com, Moton appears to be dancing alongside his teammates and sparring partners. It was evident that the 17-year-old was in high spirits and was enjoying his hard-earned victory. However, this clip has since ignited distinct opinions

One fan found it bizarre to see these dance steps and wondered why such a genre of dancing is acceptable or desired, saying, “This new generation has made it acceptable for men to twerk. It all started because of Deontay Wilder’s viral twerk video.”

Meanwhile, one fan could not believe his eyes what he was seeing and wondered if it was real. He stated, “this feels like im in an alternate reality. like a bunch of characters from IMVU or Second Life have been transported to our reality……….”

One opinionated fan thinks such a celebration should not have taken place inside a boxing gym, exclaiming, “Y’all need to take that mess outside. lol”

One fan made his observation and thought the young boy was already looking sturdy. They said, “Look yall he be getting sturdy”

Last but not least, another fan made their opinions known. The opinion almost felt like a prophecy, with the fan saying, “It’s only a matter of time until money starts changing his life for the worse.

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Phil Mickelson’s gambling losses totaled nearly $100 million

By
Phil Mickelson
The following is an excerpt from “Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk,” by Billy Walters. This article first appeared in Fire Pit Collective, a Golf Digest content partner. The book comes out on Aug. 23 and is published by Simon & Schuster.

I first met Phil Mickelson in 2006 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Northern California. Swedish pro Freddie Jacobson and I made the cut and, as fate would have it, we were paired with Phil and his amateur partner.

Phil and Freddie were on their way to a pair of 77’s and a tie for thirty-eighth place. Throughout the final round, Phil and I talked nothing but sports, oblivious to the beguiling beauty of the Monterey Peninsula and one of my favorite courses in the world. It was evident that he knew of my sports-gambling success and was trying to connect on that level.

Despite his bloated score that day, Phil’s brilliance as a golfer was in full bloom. Throughout the years, I have played with many PGA Tour pros and, frankly, Phil had another gear that most others don’t have. He was also willing to put it all on the line and risk losing a golf tournament to hit one miraculous shot. A man after my own heart!

In May 2008, I was invited to play in another Pro-Am at the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a guest of the bank. I bumped into Phil in the locker room. This time, he was more direct.

“I hear you do partnerships,” he said.

“I do,” I said. “But only if someone has access to places I can’t bet. Or places where they can bet more money than me.”

Phil had both. After the Wachovia meeting, we kept in touch and eventually entered into a gambling partnership that lasted five years. During that time, we played a few dozen rounds of golf together, most of them in Southern California. We always had a small bet on the line—usually $10,000—but our matches were never about money. We became what I thought were friends. If you’ve ever had a golf buddy, you know what I’m talking about.

More than once throughout our betting partnership, I found myself compelled to offer some quiet counsel to help Phil avoid some of the same issues that plagued me as a younger man. I want to make clear that I’m the last person to criticize someone for an addiction to anything

From the start, our betting agreement—one we verbally negotiated—called for us to split everything fifty-fifty. Phil put up half the money; I put up the other half. That way, we shared an equal amount of risk and reward.

Phil Mickelson

Phil said he had two offshore accounts that would take big action from him. In all the decades I’ve worked with partners and beards, Phil had accounts as large as anyone I’d seen. You don’t get those types of accounts without betting millions of dollars.

My reason for partnering with him was simple. Given my reputation in the gambling world, my limits with Phil’s two bookmakers were roughly $20,000 a game on college and $50,000 on the pros. Even after our fifty-fifty split, Phil’s limits of $400,000 on college at offshore sportsbooks and another $400,000 on the NFL enabled me to at least double my limits. Phil also had a $100,000 limit on college over/under bets with each book, twenty times my maximum.

By his own admission, Phil was worth an estimated $250 million during our time betting together (he collected a reported $50 million annually in endorsements alone). We agreed that anytime our winnings or losses reached $3 million, we would settle up. In truth, I was no more worried about Phil paying me $3 million than an average person owing me a thousand bucks.

In the beginning, I didn’t know Phil’s betting habits or background, so I did some research. My strategy was to emulate his betting patterns to disguise the fact that it was Billy Walters, not Phil Mickelson, placing the bets. I followed his patterns, betting at the same time, in similar amounts, dogs or favorites, riding his horses as long as we could.

The first six months of our agreement ran like Secretariat. The offshore bookies failed to detect anything different in the pattern of Phil’s bets other than that he was winning far more often. Despite our best efforts to keep the two accounts alive, it wasn’t long before the offshore bookies closed them. They told Phil the bets were far more disciplined than usual, so they knew they weren’t solely his. He could resume betting, they said, but only if it was on his own. This led Phil to activate a formerly dormant account for our partnership.

As I said, Phil liked to gamble as much as anyone I’ve ever met. Frankly, given Phil’s annual income and net worth at the time, I had no problems with his betting. And still don’t. He’s a big-time gambler, and big-time gamblers make big bets. It’s his money to spend how he wants.

In late September 2012, Phil called me from Medinah Country Club just outside Chicago, site of the 39th Ryder Cup matches between the United States and Europe. He was feeling supremely confident that the American squad led by Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, and Phil himself was about to reclaim the Cup from the Euros. He was so confident that he asked me to place a $400,000 wager for him on the U.S. team to win.

I could not believe what I was hearing.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?” I told him. “Don’t you remember what happened to Pete Rose?” The former Cincinnati Reds manager was banned from baseball for betting on his own team. “You’re seen as a modern-day Arnold Palmer,” I added. “You’d risk all that for this? I want no part of it.’’

“Alright, alright,” he replied.

I have no idea whether Phil placed the bet elsewhere. Hopefully, he came to his senses, especially considering the “Miracle at Medinah.” Trailing 10-6 going into the final day of singles matches, the Europeans pulled off the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history. They won eight matches and tied one to beat the Americans by a single point, 14½ to 13½.

Phil’s loss to Justin Rose that Sunday contributed to the stunning defeat.

After my betting partnership with Phil ended in the spring of 2014, I learned a lot more about his sports gambling from two very reliable sources.

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