After Calling Out Tiger Woods for Using ‘Inferior Equipment,’ Phil Mickelson Once Received a Harsh Reality Check From Then Nike President Bob Wood

Ever since his debut, Phil Mickelson has had his share of ups and down. Goes without saying, these shares haven’t just been restricted to the game but also his comments. An apt example of it was seen years ago. Walking down memory lane, in 2003 Mickelson had freshly struck a deal with American golfing equipment company, Titleist. On the other hand, his arch-rival, Tiger Woods was still carrying on with Nike.

With Titleist at his back, Mickelson clearly had a feeling of overpowering Woods. The result? Indulging in a conversation with a media house, Mickelson said, “He has a faster swing speed than I do, but he has inferior equipment.” The comments failed to put Woods in a commenting position. However, it clearly prompted Nike to clap back at the former World No. 2 in the most blunt way.

Nike gives it back to Phil Mickelson for his comments

Considering Mickelson‘s prominence, it goes without saying that his comments spread across headlines like fire. While a large section of the golfing world opted to ignore the comments, that wasn’t the case with Nike. Coming out in public, the then Nike president, Bob Wood, questioned Mickelson’s motives behind his words. “I question his motives for saying what he did,” he said.

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This wasn’t all. Considering the aura of Tiger Woods, Nike’s president further went on speaking on his behalf, slamming Mickelson by questioning his wisdom. “I really question the wisdom of Phil Mickelson calling Tiger Woods out,” Bob Wood said.

Woods has always been ahead of Mickelson in terms of statistics. Taking the same point into consideration, Nike further slammed Mickelson by saying, “This is a guy who has never beaten Tiger in any significant tournament, and this is what he believes, what he says? That’s a laughable assertion.”

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Days after the banter, Mickelson released a press release. In the press release, he made an attempt to clarify his stance. “I am thrilled with my Titleist equipment and proud to represent the company but my remark was absolutely not intended as a knock on any other manufacturer,” he said.

What are your thoughts on Mickelson’s words? Was it right on his part to comment something of this sort? Let us know in the comments below.