Mickelson’s gamble doesn’t pay

What a mess Phil Mickelson created for himself. It was a sure bet to happen at some point Sunday afternoon, and that point arrived early.

Mickelson's drive on the par-3 fourth hole sailed left, ricocheted high off the grandstand and landed in a thick patch of grass and weeds in the trees. The ball was all but buried. Soon enough, so too was Mickelson's shot at winning the Masters.

Mickelson had soared up the leaderboard and into the favorite's role heading into the final round. At the LVH sports book, "Lefty" was listed at 5-4 odds, and, although the price was far from a bargain, bettors jumped all over it.

Peter Hanson and Louis Oosthuizen are not inspiring names, so the money went to Mickelson.

"Phil looked like the likely winner," LVH golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said.

Mickelson opened the day one stroke behind Hanson, the unlikely leader, and one ahead of Oosthuizen. Bubba Watson sat three strokes off the lead at 7-1 on the adjusted odds board.

Before the tournament, I put a little action on three golfers -- Adam Scott (25-1), Watson (30-1) and Jim Furyk (100-1) -- and added a play on Mickelson at 25-1 after he shot a 74 on Thursday.

A friend who gambles professionally found Watson at 50-1 offshore and fired $100 on him. "It's Mickelson's tournament to lose," the friend said Sunday, and it seemed every TV golf analyst agreed.

The problem with betting Mickelson is he takes pride in being the greatest trick-shot artist alive. He's a high-risk gambler who revels in trying to escape sticky situations when he could play it safe.

After his wayward tee shot on the fourth, Mickelson considered going back to the tee but opted instead to take two right-handed hacks, and the result was a trip to a bunker and a clumsy triple bogey. Sometimes he wields a club like a magic wand, but not this time, when he should have played it safe.

It was a major mistake.

"This guy just can't keep himself from having a mental breakdown. His crazy bravado can win tournaments, and as we've just seen, it can cost him a tournament," said golf bettor Brian Blessing (DonBest.com). "Why he didn't reload back on the tee, only Phil knows. If he had gone back to the tee, he could have had a 5 with a chance for a 4."

While he made a charge after the turn, Mickelson's 6 was too much to overcome. He wound up in a four-way tie for third with Matt Kuchar, Lee Westwood and Hanson, who looked as nervous as a teenager on a first date.

Westwood, the first-round leader, closed with a 68 and still is seeking his first major title because he scored 73-72 in the middle rounds.

"Westwood really should have won the tournament," Sherman said. "He basically threw away two days. He blew some easy opportunities."

Tiger Woods blew another one, too, but he never was in it. There were predictions of this Masters turning into a two-horse race between Woods and Rory McIlroy. As expected, it was a photo finish -- in a tie for 40th.

The dark horses were Watson and Oosthuizen. One wore all white and carried a pink driver. The other is known for his gap-toothed grin. Their duel in the sunset was decided on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Sherman posted in-running wagering odds throughout the final round, and going into the playoff, Oosthuizen and Watson each were minus-110. But after Watson hit a poor tee shot into the trees on the second hole, Oosthuizen became a 4-7 favorite (minus-175) with Watson at 31-20 (plus-155).

One shot later -- Watson ripped a wedge out of the forest and onto the green within 10 feet for birdie -- the odds were adjusted to Watson minus-300 and Oosthuizen plus-250.

At the LVH, the Masters handle doubled what was wagered on last year's tournament and set a record for a major.

"It was crazy. We wrote ridiculous money on this. I've never seen a response like this for a golf tournament," Sherman said. "We did pretty well for the tournament because we did well on matchups and props. We basically broke even in the futures on Bubba. There was a lot of support for him."

I squandered some potential profits hedging on Oosthuizen, but cashed on Watson and didn't waste a dollar on Woods, the 4-1 pre-Masters favorite who was no factor.

Sherman said Woods "seems like he's got some mental aspects to fix." Mickelson made one major mental error.

Woods and Mickelson were most popular among bettors. But the long shot hit, as Watson proved a pink driver matches with a green jacket.

Contact Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts "The Las Vegas Sportsline" weekdays at 3 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM, 98.9 FM) and thelasvegassportsline.com.