Since the early 2000s, Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson has always been one of the favorite golf rivalries in the golf world. And why wouldn’t it be? Both pros were seemingly the best of their times, breaking records more often than not. As time passed, it became more of a fun thing for both golfers; however, after Mickelson shifted to LIV Golf, things changed.

Woods has always been loyal to the PGA Tour, and given that, he has been named the PGA Tour Enterprise Vice Chairman. On the other hand, Lefty showed his loyalty to the breakaway circuit and made himself comfortable on LIV Golf. Certainly, the relationship would have been strained. But at the 152nd Open, the two did have a sort of awkward interaction.

At The Open’s press conference, Lefty was asked if he and Woods ever interacted as they were together at one point on the range. The 6-time major winner replied positively and said, “We said hi. Yeah, we said hi, but we were both preparing.” The 53-year-old relayed that they couldn’t sit and have a longer chat, and there could be many reasons for it. So, with a hello, they ended the conversation.

There have been rare moments when Lefty has overpowered the 48-year-old, and the 152nd Open was one of them. The preparation at the range worked wonders for Mickelson and not for the 3-time Open winner, Woods. Unlike many top pros who missed the cut, at the age of 53, Mickelson outdid the 15-time major winner and made the six-over cutline to play The Open on the weekend and try his luck and skills at winning the Claret Jug.

This time, Mickelson’s stars aligned, and Levin made the cut, unlike Woods, who missed the cut in his last three starts, all of which were majors. This time, Mickelson had the upper hand over the 48-year-old pro, but this had not been the case this entire year. At the Masters, Lefty performed slightly better than Woods and finished at T43, but he also missed the cut at the PGA Championship and the US Open. There was a point when Woods’s reply to the LIV golfer left him stunned.

Tiger Woods rubs salt in Phil Mickelson’s wounds

Needless to say, there have been only a few times that Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods have gone head-to-head in a competitive event. The lack of such an entertaining match pushed the two to come together for 2020 The Match. Woods and Mickelson played against each other, as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady accompanied them, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, though, the golf fans’ focus was more on the two golfers than anyone else. So to make the event more enjoyable for the fans, Lefty started poking Woods as he asked him to mark his ball, in case he confused it with someone else. Woods took this poking personally and clapped back by reminding Mickelson of one major he has never won, making him speechless.

The 15-time major winner roasted Mickelson, as he slyly said, “Do you want me to use one of my U.S. Open medals?” And there it was. Lefty was out of words, as the U.S. Open title has always eluded him. With more than double the major titles and PGA Tour events in his bag, it has always favored Woods to belittle others, more so Phil Mickelson.

But at the 152nd Open Championship, the wheels turned, and Mickelson could take his years-old revenge perfectly!