“Gets in your head with wagers or it's just a one-liner” – When Tiger Woods opened up on Phil Mickelson’s gameplan in competition
The most anticipated tournament of the year, The Match will take place on December 10 under the lights of the Pelican Golf Club Course in Belleair, Florida.
Since the inception of the 2018 championship, the golf series will feature all professional golfers for the first time.
Having won two editions, Phil Mickelson is unarguably the most successful golfer in the championship.
He joined the series in its inaugural season alongside the 15-time major champion Tiger Woods and also won the match. Woods, however, defeated him the next season while playing in a team match against Phil and NBA star Tom Brady.
Before squaring up with Phil Mickelson at the Match in 2018, Tiger Woods joined the 'No Lying Up' podcast to talk about his rival in the tournament, Phil Mickelson.
Woods said:
"Phil tries to get in your head with either wager, or it's just a one-liner. "
He went on to say:
"On top of that, once he gets up, he's one of the worst frontrunners. There is a house up because he'll just be a non-stop chap. He'll chap non-stop and then when he's down, is a little different deal."
It is important to note that Phil Mickelson has signed a deal with the LIV Golf Series, resulting in his suspension from the PGA Tour.
"We're trying to outdo one another"- Tiger Woods talked about Phil Mickelson
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are phenomenal golfers who have competed against each other in several tournaments and often make headlines in the newspaper.
On the "No Lying Up" podcast, Woods opened up about his friendship and rivalry with Phil Mickelson. When the host asked him about their friendship back in 2000s, Tiger Woods said:
"We definitely didn't text one another back in those days. We were competing with one another. I was one, and he was two in the world for so many weeks, and we were trying to outdo one another."
Woods further added to his statement:
"We understood that we are certainly more alike than we would like to admit and we both care and are passionate about a lot of the same things. That's one of the reasons why then Phil's donating his charitable efforts to the military. I was born and raised around the military.
"My father served, and you know that these are things that I wasn't really privy to early on in my relationship with him, but I've become very close to him and all of these aspects."
It is pertinent mentioning that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are finding it more difficult to stand on the same page, as Mickelson has joined the LIV Golf, while Tiger is against the Saudi-backed series.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods will return to play at The Match on Saturday, where he will team up with World No.1 Rory McIlroy to take on the team of all-American Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
Fans are excited to see Woods as he has been on hiatus since February 2021. Although Tiger returned to play in the 150th edition of The Open, but quickly returned to his resting zone due to an injury.
He is still having issues with his leg, but fortunately, he will be joined by Rory at the tournament, who is in his best form these days.