Mickelson 'linked to illegal sports betting'

���

Mickelson 'linked to illegal sports gambling scam'

Phil Mickelson has been linked to an illegal sports betting operation after it was claimed he transferred nearly $3m (£1.9m) to a gambling intermediary, according to two sources and documents obtained by ESPN's Outside the Lines programme.

A 56-year-old former sports gambling handicapper pleaded guilty to laundering about $2.75m, which two sources say belonged to Mickelson.

Phil Mickelson: swing sequence

The five-time major winner, 45, has not been charged and is not under federal investigation.

Gregory Silveira, 56, who has pleaded guilty to three counts of laundering funds from an unnamed client between 2010 and 2013, could face up to 60 years in prison when he is sentenced in US District Court.

Last year, Mickelson was embroiled in an insider trading investigation, involving billionaire investment tycoon Carl Icahn and sports gambler and entrepreneur Billy Walters.

Mickelson has been cleared of one count, but it is unclear whether investigations are still ongoing in the other stock.

The left-hander, who has won three Masters titles, one US PGA and one Open Championship, makes more than $40m (£25.4m) in annual sponsorship deals, according to Forbes magazine.

Cheyenne bored of Tiger comparisons 

Cheyenne Woods says she is tired of being compared to illustrious uncle Tiger Woods, adding she has had interviews where “the only topic of conversation was my uncle”.

“I mean, I get it - he’s one of the most famous human beings on the planet and we share a last name as well as a profession," the 24-year-old wrote on the Players’ Tribune. “I love my uncle, and I treasure the advice he gives me when we speak every few months, but I am not Tiger Woods.

"How often are you asked personal questions about your uncle? Once a month? Once a year? Never? For me, it happens almost every day. But that’s just kind of how it works when you’re a professional golfer and your uncle happens to be Tiger Woods."

Woods won her first significant professional event last year at the Volvik RACV Ladies Masters, earning her an LPGA Tour card for 2015. 

Oosterhuis diagnosed with Alzheimer's

Peter Oosterhuis has gone public with the news that he has early-onset Alzheimer’s.

The 67-year-old accumulated seven wins on the European Tour in the 1970s and played in the Ryder Cup six times, before teaming up with CBS Sports as an analyst.

The Englishman told Golf World he had been aware of memory loss affecting his work.

“Maybe in the course of my commentary I wasn't giving a lot of information like I used to. I would just talk about what's on the screen," he said. "But I didn't feel like I had those things ready in my mind to call on to make a point like I used to."

Scott says Hewitt is "inspiration"

Adam Scott paid tribute to fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt as the former world number one tennis player competed for the last time at Wimbledon.

Hewitt, 34, put in a typically gutsy performance as he fell in five sets to Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, exiting the tournament he won in 2002 for the last time.

Caddie Steve Williams back with Adam Scott

"It's typical of his whole career, it sums it up," Scott said of the match. "It's going to end here at Wimbledon today but we'll still see him play some more matches. I've been really fortunate to get to know him well the last few years. He's an inspiration to me. The way he trains at this part of his career is motivational to me.

"I've looked at him on the court, in the gym, where we train, it makes me want to work harder. He leaves nothing at all to chance. He works so hard and has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen in sport."