Local Knowledge
How do Tiger and Phil really feel about each other? A history
Our latest episode of Local Knowledge takes a deep dive into the overlapping careers of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson
Christian Petersen
Before his recent induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the world hadn't heard much from Tiger Woods in the year-plus since he suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash last February. So even a one-word tweet from the 15-time major champ earlier this month caused quite a stir. OK, so, technically, it was one word and two emojis.
Woods writing "Whoops"—along with those two shrug emojis—at Phil Mickelson after officially edging him out to win the PGA Tour's inaugural Player Impact Program sent Golf Twitter into a frenzy. It wasn't enough that Woods had claimed the $8 million, he wanted to rub it in after his longtime rival had taken a premature victory lap in December.
So how did we get to this point? How is it possible that two aging golfers who aren't even playing right now—Woods due to injury and Mickelson due to the fallout from recent comments he made about a potential Saudi-backed PGA Tour rival league—could still generate so much buzz? And how do these two legends really feel about each other.
On our latest episode of Local Knowledge, we examine the overlapping careers of Tiger and Phil—and the complicated relationship between the two. To do this, we talked to Bob Harig, whose book "Tiger & Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry," comes out next month, as well as to Golf Channel's Jaime Diaz, who has covered both up close since they burst onto the scene three decades ago.
While it's still unclear if either Woods or Mickelson will play in next month's Masters, both continue to make headlines no matter what they do. We hope you enjoy this look back at how their paths have intertwined so far.