# Phil Mickleson Target of Major Insider Trading Probe

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-mickleson-target-of-major-insider-trading-probe/689681>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [May 31, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-mickleson-target-of-major-insider-trading-probe/689681 "2014-05-31T02:56:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-mickleson-target-of-major-insider-trading-probe/689681/1 "2014-05-31T02:56:20Z")

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The Wall Street Journal reported this today.

> [@](#):
>
> Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson is one of three men being investigated in what the Wall Street Journal calls “a major insider-trading probe involving finance, gambling and sports,” the newspaper reported on its website Friday night.
> 
> On Thursday at the Memorial, Phil Mickelson reportedly was approached by two FBI agents looking to question him for their investigation.  
> According to the Journal, the investigation also involves Carl Icahn, a 78-year-old billionaire who runs the publicly traded Icahn Enterprises, and William “Billy” Walters, a famed Las Vegas bettor and real-estate mogul.

It’s well known (although not widely publicized) that Phil has a pretty big gambling problem - he reportedly switched clubs from Titleist to Callaway when Callaway agreed to pay off his gambling debts.

His lawyer says that he is not the target of any investigation, but when the WSJ reports on it, there must be more than smoke. I heard today that Mickleson has gone 13 tournaments without finishing in the top 10, so maybe he knew something was coming.

Stay tuned.

> **[Report: Mickelson eyed in insider trading probe](https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/11009800/phil-mickelson-three-men-eyed-insider-trading-probe-fbi-sec)**
>
> Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson is one of three men being investigated in what the Wall Street Journal calls "a major insider-trading probe involving finance, gambling and sports," the newspaper reported on its website Friday night.

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**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phil-mickleson-target-of-major-insider-trading-probe/689681/2 "2014-05-31T12:14:01Z")

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I remember hearing about his name connected to an insider trading investigation a few months ago, but didn’t think much of it. But a sudden large investment in an unsexy company like Clorox, just before its acquisition, is easy pickins for the SEC.

You mention that his gambling problem is widely known, but I don’t remember any press on it. Not to derail this thread, but it’s interesting how the personal problems of “wholesome” white athletes are rarely publicized while it’s quite the opposite for black athletes. I remember learning about Peyton Manning’s marital indiscretions also being widely known around Indy, but his stories never seemed to get any press. Meanwhile almost everyone was alerted about Michael Jordan’s infidelity and gambling throughout his career.