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Mickelson retaliates with campaign for kindness
Phil Mickelson made his tournament debut this week at the Rocket Mortgage and opened at +6600, but it wasn’t his play that put him in the headlines nearly all week long in Detroit. The World No. 31 shot 69-72 to make the cut on the number, and he carded back-to-back 72s to finish T-74 at 3-under 285. Instead, Mickelson garnered attention after taking exception to a Detroit News article that detailed how he had been cheated out of $500,000 in bets more than 20 years ago by a local Michigan bookie with ties to organized crime.
While Mickelson’s attorney acknowledged the story’s accuracy, the six-time major winner was fixated on its timing, suggesting the report was an effort to embarrass him and the tournament. He repeatedly called the reporter who wrote the story “opportunistic,” “selfish” and “divisive,” then declared he wouldn’t return to the event.