Massive Tiger vs. Phil matchup in the works, Mickelson confirms
We don’t truly know whether Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson will ever win another major championship.
Mickelson is 48 years old and coming up on the five-year anniversary of winning his last major, the British Open.
We all know about the 42-year-old Woods’ physical woes. He’s 10 years removed from his last major championship, at the 2008 U.S. Open.
While Tiger’s comeback from a fourth back surgery this season has been a terrific story, his putting issues have left him winless.
Two of the greatest golfers in history are clearly on the back nine.
But there’s a good chance one of them will have a historic payday.
The two frenemies are in talks for a $10 million, winner-take-all showdown, Golf.com reported Friday.
When the two legends were paired up at The Players Championship in May, there were rumors of such a match.
Woods seemed to lay down the gauntlet, saying, “I’m definitely not against that. We’ll play for whatever makes him uncomfortable.”
Years ago, it seemed unlikely that Mickelson and Woods would team up for anything, given their distant relationship.
But the ice has thawed considerably since, with each man paying the other respect.
In an interview for the August edition of Golf magazine, Lefty talked about how other tour players regard Tiger.
“He was big a part of everything,” Mickelson said. “Guys listen to him and respect him. They look at him with awe and admiration. When he says something, it’s taken very seriously. And so having his input and his voice be heard more was a big deal for us [in 2016] and continues to be.”
And Woods’ junior playing partner, Chris Riley, said of Mickelson, “Phil was an icon to us.”
Both players reportedly are willing to wear microphones for the match, which would seem to be much more entertaining than Tiger’s previous televised exhibitions against the likes of David Duval, Anika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb.
“You will hear a lot of the comments that you don’t hear on regular TV,” Mickelson told Golf. “We both like to talk smack, and we both have fun with what we’re doing. And the fact that this isn’t an official tournament, that it’s just a head-to-head match, you’ll hear some of the little nuances, some of the little things that you don’t normally pick up.”
Both sides seemed to be in agreement for the match to take place in Las Vegas on July 3, but that didn’t pan out. “We’re working on a different date,” Mickelson said. “I thought it was done for the 3rd, but obviously it wasn’t.”
The British Open is coming up, followed by the PGA Championship, but there’s clearly room for Tiger vs. Phil. Think about it: Would you rather watch the Fedex Cup Playoffs or two of the all-time greats going head-to-head?
We can’t wait.
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