‘There’s No Reason Why He Can’t Win Every Event He Plays’: Tiger Woods Once Spoke Encouraging Words for His Arch Rival Phil Mickelson

It is not a secret that the 15-time major champion Tiger Woods and 6-time major winner Phil Mickelson consider each other their rivals. The two have often shared trash talks on and off course and tried to win more tournaments to show dominance over the other. Yet, did you know that there was a time when Woods felt his rival was doing better than anybody else? 

“There’s no reason why he can’t win every event he plays out there,” the 2019 Masters champion said about Mickelson. Woods meant the PGA Tour Champions, the Senior Tour for American golfers, here. After turning 50, Mickelson had joined the Tour Champions and his rival couldn’t help but compliment him for his exceptional form there. 

Tiger Woods thinks Mickelson has an advantage on the Tour Champions

“He was already one of the longest hitters out here (PGA Tour),” Woods said about Mickelson. And he considered that covering extra length would benefit Lefty in every way. “He’s got such a big advantage over the rest of the field,” the 82-time PGA title champion added. “Just with sheer length.” 

Mickelson played his first Tour Champions event at the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National and won the event. With the victory, he became the 20th player to win his debut tournament. Furthermore, he also became the first Senior player to score sub-62 in his first career round. 

Notably, Mickelson won four championship titles from his six starts on the Tour Champions. It includes his victory at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2021. The event is the final tournament of the Tour Champions, and he won it by a one-shot lead against Steven Alker by scoring an impressive 6-under 65. 

Read More: Has Phil Mickelson Ever Been Ranked World #1 in Golf?

Woods expressed how impressed he was with his professional rival of all time on the Tour Champions in the 2020-2021 season. However, it was not the only Tour the 51-year-old played his best in the same season. 

Phil Mickelson – the 2020-2021 PGA Tour season

In his 23 starts in the 2020-2021 season, Mickelson made the cut in 14 tournaments, out of which he made it to the top 30 four times. Significantly, he won the 2021 PGA Championship, one of the major tournaments on the PGA Tour. 

Phil Mickelson became the first player to win a major title after turning 50. Notably, it was his first victory on the Tour since the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.  

Mickelson played one of his best seasons in 2020-2021 in a long time. His performances made even his all-time rival Tiger Woods appreciate him.

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