WATCH: Tiger Woods got shy because of the commentator's praise amid fierce battle with Phil Mickelson in 2002 East Lake match
The two legendary golfers, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson played at the 2002 Tour Championship at East Lake. Both were at their peak and a fierce battle took place between them.
Amid the tough competition, something else that caught the attention of the golf world was an announcer's long speech about the 15-time Major winner. As Tiger Woods approached to take his tee shot at 12:55 pm in one of the rounds, the lady commentator’s long praise got Woods smiling before he took his shot. Her words were:
“Ladies and gentlemen, your 12:55 tee time from Windermere, Florida. Winner of 34 PGA Tour events including the 2002 Masters tournament, The US Open, The Bay Hill Invitational, The Buick Open, The American Express World Golf Championship…,” the commentator said.
Before she finished, Phil Mickelson interrupted her and made a hilarious comment that got everyone laughing, including the 82-time PGA Tour winner.
“All right, all right, we know,” Phil Mickelson said.
This old video from 2002 was resurfaced by Nuclr Golf on X on July 25. The caption says:
“Epic moment between Tiger Woods & Phil Mickelson from East Lake in 2002.”
The winner of the 2002 Tour Championship was Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods stood in seventh place with 4-under 276. Phil Mickelson finished fifth tied with David Love III.
How many tournaments did Tiger Woods win in 2002?
Tiger Woods was at his peak that year considering that he turned professional in 1996 and had bagged eight Major titles by 2002. He bagged two Major titles that season. He first won the Masters Tournament in April and then the US Open with 3-under 277. In the Masters Tournament, his score was 70, 69, 66 and 71.
Besides Majors, he also won the Bay Hill Invitational with 5-under 275. Then, he clinched the Buick Open title in August and the WGC-American Express Championship in September. He had a total of thirteen top-10 finishes that year, including a second-place finish at the PGA Championship. He had another second-place finish at a PGA event called Genuity Championship, where he landed at 15-under 273.
Woods' current form is no longer the same. The golfer missed three Major championship cuts this year, the Masters Tournament being the only one where he competed till the fourth round, landing at T60. Apart from Majors, Woods played in only the Genesis Invitational, where he withdrew during round two due to flu-like symptoms. He is next expected to appear at the Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship, as per Bunkered.