Tiger and Phil: BFF’s?
Photo Via Masters.com
Late last night, word began to spread about Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson playing a practice round today in preparation for the start of The Masters. And those rumors were confirmed this morning as the pair took to the tee at Augusta National (along with Belgian Thomas Pieters and 1992 Masters champ Fred Couples). Between Tiger, Phil, and Boom-Boom, the trio has a combined 8 Masters titles. Not too shabby.
But the real story here seems to be Tiger and Phil both interacting on a professional level with some camaraderie. It’s no secret these two have never been the closest of pals. Regardless of what Phil might tell the media, I’m sure it’s hard for him to stomach knowing how many more tour wins he may have if he simply hadn’t been teeing it up during the Tiger era. At minimum, he’d at least have that elusive United States Open, which he finished second to Tiger in 2002 at Bethpage Black. And we all know about the static between the two during the Ryder Cup. Notably, the 2004 edition where the pairing backfired on Captain Hal Sutton, sending Philly Mick and Tiger to an 0-2 record together. Later, both Tiger and Phil would blame the lack of success on trouble playing the other’s brand of golf ball. But from the outside looking in, the pair never looked comfortable playing together. At times, they even seemed frustrated to be out there. At the Presidents Cup last October, both players downplayed any animosity between each other.
“I think the press has made it out to more than what it has been,” Woods said. “We’ve been friends for a very long time. We’ve gotten very close by being on these teams. We’ve played against each other a lot down the stretch, and we have both enjoyed it.”
Not sure I’m buying it… but the PC answer is always the way to go if you’re in the spotlight.
Fast forward to this morning. Now, it’s hard to know not having been there just how the interaction went. However, from the photos I’ve seen circulating on Twitter this morning, the pair seemed to be at ease.
Tiger often flashing that signature ear to ear grin we’ve all known for years. Mickelson rocking a button up shirt (which is a whole other issue) smiling and laughing right along with his longtime nemesis.
Tiger and Phil are practicing together today at #theMasters👀 pic.twitter.com/H2FHBPPWgw
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 3, 2018
Both men have seen their share of adversity over their careers. Mickelson struggled capturing his first major. He watched his wife and mother battle cancer. Tiger’s personal life went down the toilet in 2009 when his then wife Elin reportedly found out about his serial fornicating and decided to take a nine-iron upside his melon. From then, it was a series of surgeries, and a DUI which ultimately led to a trip to a treatment center for prescription pill addiction. More back surgery and more time off had many thinking the mighty big cat was finished for good. But the resurgence is on, and the attitude seems to have turned a corner.
Tiger seemingly warming up over the last several months undoubtedly led to this breakthrough with Phil. Tiger always seemed to be the roadblock to many relationships. With fellow competitors, with fans, with the media. Now that he’s been on top of the sports world, broken down, and built back up, it would seem he’s got a new appreciation for his fellow man. Almost losing your livelihood has a way of doing that.
Point being, it’s nice to see a rejuvenated Tiger with a fresh outlook on life. And it’s nice to see two players saturated in greatness finally appreciating one another. Who knows, maybe we’ll see the two paired together one more time this week. This time with another green jacket on the line Sunday at The Masters.
