Phil Mickelson Once Revealed How His Career Would Turn Around If Tiger Woods Was Not Around

It is not a secret that the two best golfers of all time, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, share a love-hate relationship. Although they developed a friendship in the later years of their career, the two considered each other their professional rivals in their prime years. And Mickelson had once revealed how his career would have been if his rival was not in the same field as him. 

“I feel as though had Tiger not come around,” Lefty said during the press meet of the 2017 PGA Championship. “I don’t feel I would have pushed myself to achieve what I ended up achieving.” 

Notably, Mickelson and Woods have played in the same group 37 times on the PGA Tour, out of which the latter has scored 18 times better than Lefty’s 15 times. According to a PGA Tour report, Mickelson has averaged 1.36 strokes gained per round from 2005 to 2014. However, the number has always increased to 2.61 strokes gained per round whenever he played against Woods. 

From the records, Woods’ presence has inevitably helped his rival’s game too much. Although Woods had the upper hand in most of the matches they played together, it helped Mickelson improve his game. 

How did Tiger Woods help Phil Mickelson in staying fit? 

Tiger Woods raised the level of athleticism in golf as he always stayed in shape since he turned professional, unlike many other golfers at the time. And according to Mickelson, this feature of the 15-time major champion helped many, including him, to keep take inspiration and stay fit. 

Read More: Top 5 American Golfers With the Most Weeks Spent as No.1 in the World

“I feel like that’s been a big part of it, and he was a big influence on that.” he stated. “I don’t think I would have had the same level of success had he not come around.” 

Mickelson’s successful career as a PGA Tour pro-golfer

Phil Mickelson turned professional in 1992 and joined the PGA Tour the same year. He won his first title as a professional in 1993 at the Buick Invitational in California. Since then, he has won 43 championships on the PGA Tour, including 6 major tournaments. 

Notably, Mickelson turned professional 4 years before his professional rival Woods. Although he was one of the best golfers at the time, he was unable to win a major until Woods’ won several. Mickelson won his first major at the Masters Tournament in 2004. 

Mickelson considers Woods his professional rival. Yet, Lefty thinks that if it wasn’t for his rival, he wouldn’t have gotten the success he has now! What are your thoughts on it? 

Watch This Story: When Phil Mickelson Detailed His Trash Talk Struggles With Tiger Woods