Report takes swing at Phil’s reputation

Phil Mickelson loves to needle his friends and fellow golfers — often through bets on the golf course, where he loves the casual practice-round action almost as much as he likes trying to win tournaments.

Now, in the wake of Monday’s ESPN report — which quoted sources saying nearly $3 million in laundered money was tied to alleged gambling money belonging to Mickelson — his penchant for gambling has put Mickelson’s name and reputation under a different light.

Though Mickelson, according to the report, has not been charged with a crime nor is under investigation, the fivetime major championship winner has attracted a rash of negative attention he surely rather would not have — attention far different from what he’s created with his fun-and-games matches with fellow PGA Tour players during practice rounds.

His Tuesday practice-round four-ball matches with fellow PGA Tour players _— games which usually entail s o me large stakes — have become a fabric of major tournaments. Keegan Bradley, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson are, along with several others, among the big-name players who regularly take part in these matches.

“I get in these games and I’ve got more nerves than I do in the tournament,” Bradley said before the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Mickelson often jokes that he never has lost to Bradley and that he maintains residence inside of Bradley’s head.

Bradley, who Mickelson took under his wing about five years ago, enjoys the games and the banter. He and other players, such as Brendan Steele, have said the Mickelson practice-round money matches have helped them prepare to handle tournament pressure.

But unl i ke ly Brad l ey a nd Steele, there are some players who don’t relish the Mickelson money matches.

Before the 2010 British Open at St . Andrews , Mic ke ls o n invited Nick Watney to join him and Johnson for a practice round. The game was that the player with the highest score would pay the player with the lowest score “a thousand’’ and the player who finished second would neither pay or be paid.

Watney finished third among the three and, on the 18th green, he peeled $1,000 from his wallet and paid Mickelson, who f inished first.

“This is Britain,” Mickelson deadpanned to Watney. “I need pounds.”

So Watney, befuddled, paid Mickelson $1 ,700, taking the doll a rs to pounds currency exchange into account.

That was the last time Watney played in one of those Tuesday matches.

In 1998, Mickelson and Tiger Woods played in a practice-round money match before the Nissan Open in L.A., where Mickelson prevailed. As a gag, Mickelson made copies of the $100 bills Woods paid him and left the photocopy in Woods’ locker with a note, reading, “Just wanted you to know Benji and his friends are very happy in their new home.”

Mickelson never has hidden the fact that he enjoys gambling. Outside of golf, his second love is football, on which he have been known to bet on games.

In the wake of this report, a question facing Mickelson is this: How might this negative publicity affect his image, which is that of an A-list product endorser for Callaway and KPMG among others?

Ri c hard Torrenzano from the Torrenzano Group, a highstakes crisis-issue firm in Manhattan, told The Post on Tuesday his advice to Mickelson is to offer as much disclosure on the matter as possible as soon as possible.

“For a guy with such a sensational re co rd ove r many years he needs to get as much information out as quickly as possible to protect his reputation and image,’’ Torrenzano said. “He’s a very aggressive player on the golf course, and he should be very aggressive in clarifying his position and making sure he doesn’t put a black spot on his stellar record.

“He’s got to clarify, and get as much information out as possible as quickly as possible. To sit silent at this point is not a good thing.’’

Neither Mickelson, his attorney nor his public relations representatives have commented on the ESPN report. He does not play again until the Scottish Open in two weeks.

mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com