‘Phil and I Hadn’t Said a Word’: After Avoiding Each Other All Day, Tiger Woods Pacified Phil Mickelson With the Perfect Response in 2001

For some time now, Tiger Woods has not made an active appearance on the greens. Hence, due to his serious health concerns, the golf world hasn’t been able to witness the competitive side of Woods’ personality. Not just the 15 times major winner, but another veteran, Phil Mickelson, hasn’t been in his prime form lately as well.

After the ambitious finish at T2 alongside Brooks Koepka at the 2023 Masters, Mickelson hasn’t been able to deliver what fans usually expect from the 6-time major winner. However, none of these situations even come close to the caliber the two legends hold. Their legacy and zest for the game remain almost unmatched, especially during the 2000s. In accordance with this, an interesting tale from 2001 has resurfaced which provides an insight into Woods’ on-course personality, and an overall dynamics between the two golf professionals.

Tiger Woods’ wholesome 8-word response to Phil Mickelson at 2001 Augusta

This chronicle from 2001 starts when Tiger Woods was trying to hold all four major titles at the same time. In came the Sunday of the 2001 Masters, and both the golfers were ready to take their shots on the 13th tee. First, it was Mickelson who absolutely annihilated his driver. He made a high cut and the shot looked amazing.

However, Woods couldn’t just sit back and watch. Shortly after, he brought out his hook 3-wood and shot the golf ball right into the air. And it so happened that this nice-sweeping hook 3-wood out drove Mickelson’s previous shot. But, the final round of the game was far from over, and so is the story.

Continuing the narration, the 15-time major winner mentioned that following this stroke from Woods, the 53-year-old again hit a perfect driver. Alas! He was met with another similar 3-wood from Tiger. Even though both the professionals were able to make a birdie at the hole, the intensity from Woods’ shot did disturb Mickelson a bit.

To the degree that Mickelson couldn’t help but ask Woods if this was normally how far the golfer hit his 3-wood. Interestingly, the 2004 Masters winner’s question wasn’t something Woods had expected to come up. All because the duo had been ignoring each other on the greens the entire time. In fact, Woods said, “Phil and I hadn’t said a word to each other all day“. Both the golfers were busy in their own little worlds, concentrating on the major championship.

Anyhow, Woods took no time to come up with an answer, one that was probably meant to pacify the other icon. The golf legend said, “No“, shaking his head a little, “I usually hit it a little bit further” That is all it took, an 8-word response for the crowd to break out in laughter at how buoyant Woods can be on the course.

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However, it appears that Mickelson wasn’t disheartened by that year’s Masters victory of Woods; considering how the golfer had once praised the professional and his game.

Despite the on-course rivalry, the mutual respect that prevails between Woods and Mickelson

Before diving into their mutual respect, let us take a look at some stats that link the on-field relationship between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Out of the 37 times the two have been paired together, Woods has been able to outplay Mickelson 18 times. Mickelson showcased his dominance 15 times. The remaining four face-offs have resulted in the same scores from both sides.

Moreover, as per Golf.com, the stats between 2005-2014 show that Mickelson has averaged 1.36 strokes gained per round on the PGA Tour. However, when Woods was added to the group, the 53-year-old’s number rocketed to a mean of 2.61. Now, isn’t this an interesting take on their relationship dynamics? They motivate each other to perform better!

Not only this but, in 2020, through Twitter, Mickelson thanked Woods for his contributions to the game. Additionally, he confessed, “No one has benefited more than me and I just wanted you to know I appreciate you.” The 47-year-old has also reciprocated similar respect for the golfer. Per ESPN, Woods expressed, “He’s one hell of a competitor and it’s always a challenge to try to beat him.”

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What do you think of this healthy rivalry between the two golf legends? Let us know in the comments below.