Tiger Woods Made an Incredible Move To Rob His Greatest Rival, Phil Mickelson From a Win in 2001

Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods have been among the greatest golfers the world has witnessed in the last few decades. With their mind-blowing records and a long list of impressive achievements, both have ruled the hearts of fans.

However, both players have been known to share an intense sports rivalry throughout their careers. Their excellence in the field made them each other’s biggest competition which only deepened with time. Here is a throwback to when their relationship suffered a big dent in the early years when Woods achieved a huge win over Mickelson.

Tiger Woods achieved victory over Phil Mickelson by one stroke in 2001

The start of their rivalry began in 1996 when Mickelson was already an established name in golf with nine PGA Tour wins to his name. Then came Woods who turned professional that year. After that Woods was quick to score major tournaments while Mickelson faced a drought. And with time the rift increased. A big dent in their relationship came in 2001 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational played at Bay Hill Club in Florida where Woods beat Phil by one stroke. A throwback video of the same was shared by NUCLR Golf on Twitter.

The commentator called it a heroic shot if Woods could make it and make it he did.

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The final round was full of suspense and tension. Winners at Bay Hill must adopt a daring approach over water to seal the deal. Mickelson appeared favorite to win when, on the 18th hole, Tiger went out of bounds. But he recovered and hit a 5-iron 195 yards to 15 feet from the cup and then advanced with a birdie and emerged victorious. As shown in the video Woods quickly pumped his fist in the air at the big win while Mickelson was visibly upset. 

Further division between Mickelson and Woods due to LIV Golf

Leaving PGA Tour behind was a big decision made by LIV defector Phil Mickelson last year but he also gained a lot from it. However, bashing him and other defectors, Woods accused them of “turning their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.” 

To which Mickelson responded by saying, “I certainly respect his opinion. I have a lot of respect for him. I respect his opinion. I think everybody’s going to have strong emotions and opinions about it, and I certainly respect his.” Though their on-course rivalry has subsided, their differences off it continue to exist.

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