“Incredible”. Yes, that’s the adjective that one of Tiger Woods’ most potent rivals had to use to describe him. In the recent past, several injuries and setbacks have derailed the man who reigned on the greens for decades. However, fans are still awaiting a return of the maestro to the competitive sphere. And as Tiger approaches his 50s, his friend and rival shared a few moments from the past that would indeed make golf fans relive the golden era.

We are talking about none other than Chucky 3 Sticks, aka Charles Howell III. He joined the Saudi-backed league after a long career on the PGA Tour. However, although the 46-year-old star is now a part of LIV Golf, he never misses a chance to reminisce about his past days as a PGA Tour star.

Golf analyst Johnny Wunder recently caught up with Howell III on the occasion of Tiger’s 50th birthday. Woods will turn 50 this December 30. Wunder asked Charles about the moments that he has shared with the legend. Going down memory lane, Howell III immediately said, “Well, the best golf years of my life were playing and practicing with Tiger. I mean, we were really close. I was lucky enough that he would let me practice and work out with him.”

Throwing light on their practice range moment, Charles reflected on how unusual and impeccable his power and ball-flight control were. The two were at Isleworth. Conditions were calm, with very little wind. Notably, Woods was at his peak form as it was just before the Masters. The American professional said that Woods was hitting a “very normal Tiger speed,” which refers to his routine driver swings speed producing 300–305 yards of carry, (which for most pros would already be max effort). But then Woods decided to add more fuel to his shot.

Charles narrated the story. “He’s [Tiger Woods] like, Hey Charles, I’m going to hit one hard here. So he hits it and he hits this ball and it just launches straight up. And it literally pitches, it flies this T and it literally lands right back there in that parking lot. And he’s pitched this ball 340 yards, just comfortable.” With amazement and respect in his voice, he further exaggerated, “He pitches the ball 340 and lands here, and it bounces 30 yards in the air. And what I’ve been just, it was incredible the stuff the guy could do.”

The host then shared his opinion and stated, “I think from 1999 to 2009. Okay. Let’s see if you agree. Tiger Woods was better at golf than anybody has ever been at anything ever in human history.” And immediately, without giving a second thought, Chucky 3 Sticks added, “No question.”

To justify his take further, Howell shared another anecdote and revealed, “We were hitting balls here one day. This was the week of Akron at Firestone. It was on a Tuesday. He was going to fly up late Tuesday night, probably on Wednesday, then goes and we’re hitting balls. And he finally looks at her. He goes, I figured it out. I said, okay, I’ll win this week. But he said it was such like conviction of like saying, Hey, the sun came up. Like it wasn’t, it wasn’t cocky or bragging. I figured I’m going to win this week. And he did. And it was just such a man. The guy was incredible.”

Now, as the Tiger of the tee turns 50, it appears that it’s not just Charles Howell III who has words of appreciation for the legend. Recently, Woods’ strongest rival from the early 2000s shared his opinion on the legend.

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Phil Mickelson heaps praise on Tiger Woods for his incredible play

Whenever Tiger Woods is referenced, much in the same breath, the name of Phil Mickelson, too, will be mentioned. While Woods came in and took the golfing realm by storm, most people thought that he would have his own merry way. But the emergence of Mickelson was a stark reminder that Woods would have to toil. However, Woods accepted the challenge with open arms. And pretty much owned it too!

And it is for this reason that even his biggest rival back then, Mickelson, was not shy of heaping praises on the US golfing legend. Mickelson, who is currently with LIV Golf, touted Woods as the greatest golfer ever. Speaking about the historic rivalry, Mickelson said to Grant Horvat that Woods was impeccable at least in the first half of their face-off. 

“He owned me the first half of our careers. His record against me head-to-head was dominant. It is now even when we play together. I’ve seen him do things with a golf ball that I’ve never seen anyone else do. His play in 2000 was indescribable. He owned me in the early part of our careers, and the second part, I owned him. Our head-to-head record is, I believe, dead even,” said Mickelson. Thus, with Woods getting acknowledged by his biggest rival, fans cannot wait to see whether he can make his much-awaited comeback anytime soon.