The 50-year-old has seen his odds move dramatically after winning the 2021 PGA Championship.
It took an all-time record to do it, but oddsmakers won't be caught off-guard if Phil Mickelson wins another major championship this season.
The soon-to-be 51-year-old outlasted two-time PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen on Sunday at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course. Mickelson finished with a two-stroke lead at six under par. At age 50, he became the oldest major championship winner, passing Julius Boros back in 1968 when he won the PGA Championship at age 48.
Multiple sportsbooks held substantial liability on Mickelson as he contended throughout the tournament, and after taking a sizable hit, many have already adjusted their futures odds for the next major on the PGA calendar.
At both PointsBet Sportsbook as well as DraftKings Sportsbook, Mickelson entered the week at +12500 (125/1) odds to win the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines (South) in San Diego. Now, Mickelson is a consensus +5000 to contend for the career Grand Slam and break his own record of oldest player to ever win a major. He is currently tied with the 20th lowest odds on the board, with Jon Rahm as the overall favorite at +1000.
Phil Mickelson's PGA Championship Odds
Before the start of the PGA Championship on Thursday, Mickelson was available at some sportsbooks, including DraftKings at 300-to-1 odds. According to DraftKings senior communications associate Remington Parker, Mickelson went from its second-biggest liability at the start of the PGA Championship, to its top liability at the start of Sunday's final round.
One bettor, according to multiple reports, placed a $1,000 wager on Mickelson to win outright at +30000 odds, resulting in a payout of $300,000.
Meanwhile, PointsBet also took a major hit on Phil's victory, according to director of communications Patrick Eichner:
“While it was great to see Phil win as a fan of the game, from the book’s perspective, the result dinged us pretty good.
The PGA Championship proved to be our most bet golf event ever—just surpassing this past Masters Tournament—and Phil entered as a top 5 liability for PointsBet before moving to a top 3 liability by the conclusion of day one.
Needless to say, some bettors did very well for showing faith in Phil!”
Updated 2021 U.S. Open Odds
2021 U.S. Open odds are now updated over at PointsBet Sportsbook.
After Rahm (+1100), the 2021 PGA Championship runner-up Brooks Kopeka is the second-highest favorite on the board at +1200. Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy both come in at +1600, with last year's U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau along with Justin Thomas at odds of +1700.
Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele (+2000) both see their odds drop after +1400 and +1800, respectively in the PGA Championship. Following them are Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland at +2500, and reigning 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama enters the next major at +3000 odds.
The U.S. Open is set to tee off beginning Thursday, June 17.
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