A young Phil Mickelson started working at the semi-private course (formerly called Stardust Country Club) where he collected balls on the driving range in exchange for practice privileges. “On a Thanksgiving Day of his youth, it seems that Phil snuck out of the house with his clubs, paid a neighbor to take him [to the club]. He managed to play his way around the back nine before his mom and dad arrived on a golf cart, knowing exactly where to find him.”

Earl Woods, an Army veteran, had access to the local Navy Golf Course near the family’s home. This is where Earl started teaching toddler-aged Tiger the game that would define his life. “That is where the two forged their bond...there was a tall elm tree on the 6th hole known as ‘The Tiger Tree,’ which stood more than 300 yards from the tee. Tiger hit it as a teenager. His dad would say he’d be ready for tournaments once he got his tee shots to roll past it.”

The site of the 1991 U.S. Amateur, the top event for non-professional golfers in the country. The ‘91 event was the first time Tiger and Phil would play in the same tournament. Phil, the defending champion, was 20, and Tiger only 15. “It is quite likely they never laid eyes on each other. There was awareness, maybe even curiosity, but certainly not to the level of obsession.”

Phil Mickelson attended Arizona State University from 1988 - 1992, on a golf scholarship, where he graduated with a degree in psychology. During his time as a Sun Devil, he won 16 tournaments, including 3 NCAA individual titles, the U.S. Amateur title, and his first PGA Tour event, the Northern Telecom Open. Mickelson was quoted saying, “Right now, I’m honing my game here at ASU, and I’m also using the opportunity to get an education. So it is working hand in hand.”

Tiger Woods attended Stanford University from 1994 - 1996, on a golf scholarship, with a major in economics. Tiger started his freshman year as the U.S. Amateur champion. As a Cardinal, Tiger won his second U.S. Amateur title, and played in his first Masters where he claimed the Sterling Cup. “Tiger’s Stanford teammates were stunned. ‘We were like, if that’s how Tiger stacks up against Tour players, we’re all in trouble,’ Steven Burdick, an All-American two years earlier, told ESPN.”

Augusta is the legendary home of the Masters Tournament. Both players have had incredible, historic success here. Tiger first won in 1997, the youngest player and first Black man to win. 13 years into his professional career, Phil finally won his first Masters, and first major championship overall, in 2004. “Mickelson captured that elusive first major, starting a green jacket-sharing run with Woods that seemingly was following in the tradition of the greatest players of their era.”

The 2004 Ryder Cup truly highlighted the uneasy relationship between Woods and Mickelson. The pairing went 0-2 on the first day and were never paired together for the rest of the 2004 cup, or any future Ryder cups. The US bitterly lost to the European team. “Their day as Ryder Cup teammates could not have been a bigger disaster, with the look on Woods’ face portraying a venom no words could describe, their stuggles in two matches together...epitomizing American incompetence that week.”

The 2008 U.S. Open is iconic for several reasons: it was only the second Open to be held at a municipal course, it ended in a sudden-death playoff that was watched by more than 12 million viewers, and Tiger pulled off an incredible upset victory. Unbeknownst to the world, Woods was playing with a torn ACL and two stress fractures in his left tibia. “He looked ill because he was in so much pain. It was hard to watch in a sense. And yet there he was near the top of the leaderboard.”

No one expected the 50-year-old golfer to be a factor at the 2021 PGA Championship. Phil Mickelson did the unpredictable: he won. Phil claimed his 6th major and became the oldest major champion in the history of the sport. “It was almost as if Mickelson was going to not only enhance his legacy, but prolong the Tiger-Phil rivalry with a bit of one-upmanship that few saw coming. Even Tiger, from afar, had to tip his cap, acknowledging the remarkable accomplishment via social media.”

It is of no surprise that both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Phil was inducted in 2012 and Tiger was part of the 2021 class. These two men, whose rivalry helped propel the game forward, will forever be legends. “The drive that saw them both become Hall of Famers with some of the best records in the history of the game was clearly sewn into the fabric of their being from a time they can hardly remember.”