Inside the epic, love-hate rivalry between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson

The beginning point is five $100 bills.

Back in their twenties, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson played a warm-up round before the Nissan Open at Valencia Country Club, California. During this practice game held in February 1998, they made a wager that involved one of them pocketing $500 from the other as reward for winning.

Mickelson emerged triumphant at the end of the round and marked his victory by placing duplicates of his five $100 bills, which he won, into Woods’ locker. The accompanying note expressed that Benji and companions were pleased in their new abode.

According to Bob Harig in his latest publication, “Tiger and Phil – Golf’s Most Fascinating Rivalry” (released by St. Martin’s Press this month), Woods was seething at the time as he recalls how professionals ceased playing practice rounds together until 20 years later when they reconvened for a round during the 2018 Masters event.

For decades, the golf world has been captivated by the intricate dynamic between two of their generation’s most exceptional players. Their lives and careers are intertwined in a fascinating manner; despite this bond, however, both individuals could not be more dissimilar.

At 51 years old, Mickelson grew up as a white country-club kid with an airline pilot father while Woods, who is now 46 years of age and mixed race, had parents that took out a second mortgage just to support their son’s sports career. Known for eagerly signing autographs until his pen runs dry, Mickelson has earned himself quite the reputation whereas Woods can come across aloof or distant. Family-oriented Mickelson put aside sports in order to devote time to caring for his spouse Amy after she received her cancer diagnosis back in 2009. Conversely and sadly unpopularly known was that Elin forced then-wife-beater-on-the-loose Tiger into fleeing from home when wielding one of his personal golf clubs only so he could take it upon herself causing destruction by shattering car windows amongst other violent acts committed thereafter which publicly disclosed what others long-suspected about him being involved sexually outside marriage confines (philanderer).

According to Harig, the dynamic between Woods and Mickelson isn’t a traditional type of rivalry. Nevertheless, both athletes have been conscious of each other’s presence throughout their careers.

There are a few similarities shared by the two men. They were both born in California and predestined for greatness.

“The pairing of Woods and Mickelson at the 2004 Ryder Cup was necessary for history,” stated one supporter.

Golf was ingrained in Woods since he started walking, as his father served during the Vietnam War while his mother hailed from Thailand. He decided to go pro after two years at Stanford University and landed a $40 million deal with Nike and Titleist upon leaving in 1996.

Despite being right-handed, Mickelson played golf left-handed. He was a supremely self-assured and acclaimed collegiate golfer at Arizona State University who practiced on his personal facility located in his backyard to perfect his skills.

Phil Mickelson has achieved a remarkable feat of securing 45 Tour victories, which includes six majors. Additionally, he has earned an impressive amount of prize money worth nearly $100 million alone. However, despite being among the top ten golfers for over 700 weeks and occupying the number two position behind Woods for five years straight, Mickelson never managed to clinch the first rank in world rankings throughout his career so far.

Mickelson’s career would be considered legendary in any other era, but unfortunately he has often been regarded as the second-best player during his time. In November 2018, Mickelson expressed how frequently he thinks about what his accomplishments could have been if there was no competition from exceptional players like himself.

The 2001 Masters serves as an example of Woods achieving the “Tiger Slam” by simultaneously holding all four major titles. In the final round, Mickelson showcased his best golf skills during the first nine holes, but despite that, Woods managed to maintain a lead and eventually wore him down with persistent efforts before winning the Green Jacket.

Later on, Mickelson confessed that playing Tiger during those times was exceptionally challenging. He used explicit language to convey the extent of difficulty.

While Tiger Woods watched from his yacht on TV, Phil Mickelson struggled at the 2006 US Open and ultimately blew the win on the final hole.

During a 2003 interview with Golf Magazine, Mickelson made fun of Woods’ clubs that he had contributed to designing and described them as “subpar”. He then gave him a compliment in an indirect manner by saying that only someone who was exceptional could manage to excel despite the substandard equipment they were given.

Woods’ reply was short. He remarked, “Phil may attempt to be a wise guy occasionally.”

Despite the widely known animosity between them, Hal Sutton, the captain of Ryder Cup team for USA and Europe in 2004 chose to pair up two men.

During the opening ceremony, Sutton stated that he believed history, fans and importantly Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods all required it.

During the final round of the 2021 PNC Championship, Tiger Woods and his team were fortunate to hit 11 consecutive birdies as they played alongside his son Charlie.

Initially hailed as the Dream Team, the partnership between Woods and Mickelson devolved into a Laurel-and-Hardy-like situation. Their sullen attitudes throughout two dismal performances ultimately led to their separation with little communication left between them. This resulted in an embarrassing home defeat for the US against Europe.

Harig asserts that the teammates’ uniforms are essential in identifying them as part of the same team.

According to Harig, Woods and Mickelson have had strained relations primarily because of Mickelson’s image as a relatable figure among the masses that bothers Woods.

According to him, Tiger didn’t hate Phil but had a significant animosity towards him.

At certain moments, it appeared that Woods took pleasure in the control he wielded over Mickelson. In 2006 at Winged Foot NY during the US Open, Mickelson missed a chance to win on the last hole while Woods was aboard his yacht watching the final rounds of TV since he had been eliminated after missing halfway cut.

Harig writes that Woods privately texted an acquaintance to inquire about the incident and mockingly questioned which body part Mickelson stumbled over.

Mickelson remains unsuccessful in winning the US Open, which is the only major tournament among four that he hasn’t won.

Woods and Mickelson now have a much more amicable relationship, which Mickelson credits to the 2016 Ryder Cup. During that event, Woods was an auxiliary captain while Mickelson played as part of the team. Harig notes that this experience allowed them to see things from the same perspective – something that may have been harder for Woods than for his rival who he had avoided in personal interactions prior to then. Despite spending nearly two decades avoiding each other’s company on tour, they’ve since exchanged contact information and often communicate via text message about strategic matters relating to their respective games.

Despite their age and off-course problems, both men still attract the largest audiences in golf. This is why they were exclusive participants in “The Match” of 2018 – a televised contest that took place over 18 holes at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas where Mickelson triumphed after sudden death to win $9 million.

Last year saw Woods end his majorless drought, dating back to 2008 when he won the US Open with a fractured leg by taking home the Masters title. Meanwhile, Mickelson made history as the oldest ever champion of a major tournament at age 50 after winning the PGA Championship.

In 2018, Getty Images captured Woods and Mickelson engaging in a practice round at the Shadow Creek Golf Course before “The Match”.

However, they are still going after one another.

Woods emerged victorious over Mickelson on March 2, securing the PGA Tour’s first-ever Player Impact Program prize of $8 million and teasingly tweeting at him with a “Whoops.”

Mickelson was embarrassed as he mistakenly believed that he had already won it. He wrote on Twitter, “I’m grateful to all the crazies (and genuine supporters) who helped me win the PiP!!” but later realized his error.