Phil Mickelson Golf Odds and Predictions for 2016

If golf betting odds are your thing, then you are likely interested in what some of the major contenders on the PGA Tour are doing this off-season. One fairly major change comes from the camp of Phil Mickelson, who recently split with Butch Harmon, his longtime coach. He’s changed to Andrew Getson, from Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale. Let’s take a look at what some of the major golf pundits think about this change.

What Will Phil Mickelson Do in 2016 Golf Betting Aficionados?

What can we expect to see from Lefty during the 2016 season? https://t.co/Fdl4VqntiO pic.twitter.com/UOuqSyq4wx

— GOLF.com (@golf_com) November 10, 2015

Possible Scenario for the Golf Betting Lines

Joe Passov, the senior editor of Golf Magazine, had this to say: “Lefty has endured big-time teacher breakups before, notably with Rick Smith, and he’s far from alone as far as world-class players go in splitting with a longtime coach. Mickelson needs a fresh start – and yes, maybe a new approach – but mostly, he needs to be healthy enough to practice and apply. The guy knows how to win.” Gary van Sickle, a senior golf writer with Sports Illustrated, was a little more blunt about Mickelson: “It’s better to expect nothing from Phil and then be pleasantly surprised. But Butch’s departure doesn’t hurt his reputation since Phil’s reputation as a know-it-all makes him a less than ideal student.” Pro golfers getting tagged as “know-it-all”s? If you look through the track record of some of the most famous PGA champions, they have moved from one coach to another over time, and they have had the confidence to know when it was time to move on. Butch Harmon was the coach who got Tiger Woods up and running, and that is the legacy that will define his career. Mickelson is simply giving into Father Time, as just about every other golfer has. Vijay Singh, Bernhard Langer and (famously) the Jack Nicklaus who showed up for the 1986 Masters are pretty much the only exceptions. Thanks to the Rory McIlroys and the Jordan Spieths, this is a young man’s game more so than it has been for a long time. Mickelson can still challenge now and then, but he’s on the gradient toward the Senior Tour now. Jeff Ritter, the senior editor from the Sports Illustrated Golf Group, said, “Phil will always be wildly unpredictable and a blast to pull for, but it’s hard to envision any kind of age 45/46 rebirth. I expect a year similar to 2015: a few weeks where he pops up on the leaderboard, including the Masters, but ultimately no wins.” It’s important to remember that Harmon has a few other players who have more upside than Mickelson does now, such as Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Jimmy Walker. Look for Mickelson to make a run at the Masters, but other than that, I don’t see him staying with the field. Now you could expect him to carry home hardware from lower-tier tournaments where some of the top crowd takes the week off, but don’t expect him to pull a major.