Phil Mickelson was into his fourth year on the PGA Tour when Tiger Woods had his “hello world” moment in 1996. Yesterday, they played their first tournament practice round together in 20 years.
Not only did they play in the same group for nine holes practice at Augusta National they played as partners, which would have been inconceivable even a handful of years ago.
There were whispers doing the rounds of the Augusta media centre on Monday afternoon that the pair would play together on Tuesday morning. Some laughed it off as a joke, reflecting back at the last time the two played together, as partners, at the 2004 Ryder Cup when they appeared to hate every moment of the experience.
It seemed the word had spread beyond the secure walls of Augusta National as Tuesday morning began with the same anticipation and excitement that might be reserved for a Masters final round. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were indeed going to partner each other in a practice round. The icy rivalry that existed between these two titans of the game for so many years has, seemingly, all but melted.
“I never thought I'd see the day,” Rory McIlroy smiled during his Tuesday afternoon press conference. “Tiger and Phil playing a practice round at Augusta.”
In years gone by, Woods’ Tuesday practice rounds have begun early, usually with friend Mark O’Meara, and two others for 18 holes. Mickelson, on the other hand, has always been happy to play fourball matches that in recent times have included the likes of Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson.
Woods and Mickelson, with seven green jackets between them, paired together against Augusta-expert Fred Couples, the 1992 Champion, and big-hitting Belgian Thomas Pieters. The partners were determined on Masters wins, according to Mickelson. “It’s a respect thing,” he laughed.
When the old rivals-new friends emerged from the clubhouse and headed for the 10th tee, the patrons waiting for them around the 1st tee created a human tsunami as they all tried, at once, to get a glimpse of their opening tee shots.
As the pair entered Amen Corner they looked like old buddies out for a hit-and-giggle.
As Fred Couples would say post round: “They've never really disliked each other. And they probably aren't best of friends, but they're friends … and they want to beat each other up.”
For two hours on Tuesday, they did just that to Couples and Pieters, who were actually two up in the match after the opening two holes. “We were two up after two and then it didn't go so well after that,” Couples grinned.
From the 13th hole, Woods and Mickelson put on a clinic in front of a gallery that was 10 to 12 people deep along each fairway and had every stand on the back nine filled to capacity.
“They certainly enjoyed beating us badly … come Sunday, they may be paired together.” – Fred Couples.
The duo matched tee shots on the 13th, with Woods hitting a high, drawing 3-wood rolling out to a perfect position on the left side of the fairway about three metres ahead of his playing partner. Mickelson’s approach to the green trickled over the back, while Woods drew a massive cheer from the crowd as his approach settled some 15 feet past the flag. The two walked together down the 13th fairway, Mickelson telling a story and Woods laughing with him.
When Woods stepped onto the 13th green, he marked his ball and studied his eagle putt with as much intent as he would during a tournament. When he sent his putt on its way it looked like it was half a roll short heading down the slope but the Big Cat, as he has done so many times before, appeared to will the ball into the hole and the crowd went nuts with a back-nine-Sunday-like roar with its last roll into the bottom of the cup, accompanied by a typical Tiger fist pump.
It was no different two holes later when Woods flushed a 4-iron onto the green at the par-5 15th to leave himself another eagle putt, this time from four feet below the hole. There was no doubt about this putt, nor was there any second guessing the result of the tap-in birdie two he made at the next.
“Tiger was brilliant,” said Pieters after the round.
RIGHT: Tiger and Phil do the traditional skipping shot across the lake on the 16th hole during their practice round. PHOTO: Getty Images.
As one of the thousands that witnessed his play for most of the nine-hole practice round could not be more impressed. Tiger’s ball-striking was powerful and accurate. The greenside chips he practiced rarely finished further than a club length from their intended target and his putting was superb.
As is Mickelson’s competitive nature, he was having a good time of it also. He made five consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 17th, which just added to the pain inflicted on poor Couples and Pieters.
“We partnered up and had some fun," Mickelson said later. "Watching him eagle 13 and 15, and I made a few birdies in there. We had a five-hole stretch where we were seven under, which was fun.”
Couples added: “They certainly enjoyed beating us badly … come Sunday, they may be paired together.”
If that scenario does transpire come the final round, its unlikely we’ll see the same buddy-buddy scenes that dominated their practice round but the intense, perhaps bitter, rivalry that once existed will be left in the past. While they may not exchange Christmas cards, there is certainly a new and healthy respect for each other.
“I think that nobody respects and appreciates what he's done for the game more because nobody's benefited from what he's done for the game of golf more than I have,” Mickelson said. “I've always had that appreciation and respect for him.
“To see him back out playing is incredible. We all feel that. I texted him a while ago when he was playing at Valspar that it felt like it was a different time continuum because I found myself pulling so hard for him. It was unusual.
RIGHT: There were few jokes and little cohesion between the pair back in the 2004 Ryder Cup when captain Hal Sutton chose his two best players as partners. PHOTO: Getty Images.
“And I find that I want him to play well, and I'm excited to see him play so well. And he is playing well.”
This from a man who might have 10 or 12 majors on his resume, instead of five, if not for Woods’ domination of the majors for more than a decade from 1997.
“It's very possible that that's the case,” said Mickelson when asked if he thought he might have more majors without Tiger on the scene, “and it's also possible that he brought out the best in me and forced me to work harder and focus to ultimately achieve the success that I've had.
“It's hard to determine, looking back, which one it is.
“But I know that I've appreciated the challenge of playing and competing against him, and I also appreciate the level of greatness that he's achieved in his career, and I've also enjoyed the chance to play and compete with him and against him. And it has been tough dealing with as much failure against him as I've had, but I also enjoy the challenge.”
A common observation of Tiger in his comeback to the game, at least from the American media, is that he appears to be more approachable and happier than he was before his time out of the game.
The mellowing of Woods might also extend to his relationship with Mickelson, which became closer during the Ryder and Presidents Cups in recent years when Tiger was a captain’s assistant and Phil was playing on the team.
“I think Phil and I have … we have been through it for so long and we have been together on these teams long enough, and then when I got hurt and I had to take a different role on the teams, being assistant captain and really trying to help out on the side, how best I possibly could, Phil was great,” Woods said. “He was trying to help me out, when I was trying to make a comeback, my body wasn't feeling very good: ‘How can I help?’
"Our friendship (as a result) has gotten stronger over the years.
“And I think it's just age as well … we're at the tail-end of our careers, we both know that. He's 47 and I'm 42, and we have had a great 20-year battle, hopefully we'll have a few more.
“But we understand where we are in the game now versus where we were in our early 20s, battling for who is going to be No.1, and that was then and certainly this is now.”
Woods then heaped praise on Mickelson, like he had never done before.
“Oh, man, he's very, very competitive. He's feisty. He's determined. He always wants to win. It has served him well,” Woods said.
“He believes in himself an awful lot. And you see the chances he's taken over the years, the reason why he does that is because he knows he can do it and he has that belief.
“And that's what has separated him. That's why he's won so many tournaments, that's why he's won so many major championships, is that he truly believes he can pull it off. That's what have you to have; you have to have that belief.”
Had I not seen and heard Tiger say these words, they could easily have been from someone talking about Tiger.
For so many years, they were so much alike yet their intense rivalry kept them apart. Now, in the twilight they might just find a way onto each other’s Christmas card list.
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