Phil Mickelson owes much of his success to the excellence produced by Tiger Woods

24 May 2020: In a world of razor-sharp margins, barely anyone bothers to remember, much less, understand the second best. Often, it simply does not matter. But it is in these thankless trenches that we might often find some of the most absorbing stories in international sport. And on the eve of The Match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, it is a good time to reminisce how one man made the other better.

In 1963, Avis pioneered a celebration of second best, in an ad campaign that remains one of the most enduring works in the history of modern communication. “We try harder,” they told the world from bright billboards. In a manner, the journey of Phil Mickelson is also captured in a similar capsule of spirited effort against the best. In the shadow of Tiger Woods, there wasn’t really much else Mickelson could do except trying harder.

Since winning his first title in 1991, well before the arrival of Tiger Woods to the scene of golf, Mickelson has sought to push his own envelope of excellence and endurance. He will think about the journey with his contemporary as he steps out for a charity match at The Medalist Golf Club in Florida.

At first, Mickelson may have been forgiven to think that Woods may have punctuated his own march to greatness. But he is well aware that all five of his major titles have come after he turned 33, and some of that was down to Woods. The massive influence Woods exercised on the evolution and consumption of golf isn’t lost on Mickelson.

“As I was starting my career I thought and wondered if there would ever be a point where we would have a first-place check of a million dollars,” Mickelson told the Golf magazine. “Because all of these other athletes were signing these big contracts and I did not think it would happen in my career, and Tiger comes along, gets golf on the front page, and next thing you know sponsors want in. And we’re playing for a million-plus first-place check every single week now and it’s been like that for quite some time, and I have always attributed that to him, as well as the increased opportunities off the golf course he has provided.

“I think our relationship turned around in 2016 when we worked together for the Ryder Cup. He was an assistant captain, and we ended up spending a lot of time on the phone getting ready, talking about players, picks, statistics, alternate shot, course setup and all these things,” explained Mickelson. “And getting an idea to see how prepared he was and how meticulous with each little thing, I had a new respect for him. But when we worked together for a common goal, which was to win the Ryder Cup, it brought us closer. I think that was kind of the turning point.”

That was no small turn. Way back in 2004, Hal Sutton sought to pair Woods and Mickelson in a Ryder Cup, leaving the air thick with a dense cloud hanging over their strained relationship.

Woods sharpened Mickelson. Lefty used the sharp edge to collect 44 titles including five majors. Three of those came at the Masters in Augusta. And in 2006, Mickelson trounced Woods at Augusta National to extract a measure of revenge. As Woods put the green jacket on Mickelson’s shoulders, his face acquired a glow of pride and joy.

There is no doubt that Woods has been integral to the construction of greatness for Mickelson. He is among just twelve golfers who have managed to win at least three of the four majors. Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh were all forced to find an extra gear within them even as Woods stretched the boundaries of professional with his mind-numbing feats. All three men worked extra hard to compete or at least offer a semblance of competition to Woods, an effort that yielded rich dividends to each of them.

Mickelson was a star in his own right by the time Woods turned professional in 1996. Lefty had nine victories on his cabinet, but Woods pulled the carpet from under his feet. By the time, the two came past the 72^nd hole at Augusta National in 2001, Woods completed the Tiger slam and collected his fifth major title with Mickelson still counting his ducks. This is why that moment in 2006 when Woods put on the green jacket on his shoulders must have felt doubly special for Lefty.

But it is these seeds of angst and animosity that Mickelson harvested to enrich his own career. The success of Woods made Mickelson envious. And Lefty responded by working harder than ever to carve out space for himself, battling to slip out of the giant shadow cast by Woods very early in his tremendous career. And Mickelson achieved much, having spent 1,354 weeks inside the top 50 and has accumulated accumulate eleven second-place finishes in majors besides his five titles. Those are front row in the hall of fame numbers, anyways you spin the table. 

Golf can celebrate that these two rivals have figured common ground, however small, of mutual respect. And on that common ground, they play their second match, this time raising money for charity.