WATCH: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson spotted practicing side by side on the range at Royal Troon
Arch rivals Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were spotted together hitting the range at the Royal Troon ahead of the Open Championship. However, both of them didn't speak a word with each other during the practice.
Tiger Woods is the 15-time major champion including three time winner at the Open Championship. Phil Mickelson with six majors is considered as Woods' closest rival. Both are set to compete together once again at the Open Championship as they look to end their title drought.
On Tuesday, July 16 during the second day of practice ahead of the Open Championship, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson practiced together at Royal Troon. Both were wearing contrasting colors with Tiger sporting darker clothes while Phil in the lighter ones. Golf Channel shared footage where both can be seen hitting a few balls but not once they exchange words with each other. Here's the video:
Woods and Mickelson have never been friends but they were still amicable with each other. However, things went a bit sour between the two after Mickelson joined the LIV Golf. Last year, the six-time major champion also took a dig at Woods on social media.
Both Mickelson and Woods have been winless for quite some time now. Woods hasn't won an event since the 2020 Zozo Championship. However, he has missed most of the action since then due to his injury struggles. As for Phil, he became the oldest major winner after clinching the 2022 PGA Championship. Since then, he has failed to add another win to his resume.
How have Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson performed in the Open Championship?
Both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have had some great results at the Open Championship so far. Woods has won the event three times in his career, while Phil lifted the title in 2015.
Woods has made 18 cuts, including ten top tens, in his 22 appearances at the Open. Mickelson has made the cut 20 times in his 29 starts at the oldest major. He has four top tens, including two runner-ups, besides his win in 2015. However, he hasn't made the cut here since 2018, and his runner-up finish in 2016 was his last top ten at this event.
Woods, on the other hand, has missed the cut three times in his past five appearances. His T6 finish in 2018 is his only top-ten finish at the Open in the last ten years.