Tiger vs. Phil: The Match is Set

The Tiger Woods versus Phil Mickelson showdown is officially on. The legends, who have 19 major championships between them, will participate in a pay-per-view head-to-head battle for $9-million at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas on Nov. 23.

Mickelson, who started a new Twitter account seemingly to just promote the event, tweeted: “I bet you think this is the easiest $9M you will ever make.”

https://twitter.com/PhilMickelson/status/1032369578796507136

Details of the cost of the pay-per-view have not been disclosed, and the format of the event has not fully been determined. However, speculation suggests there will be a series of individual challenges within the match, such as long drive competitions.

“It’s an opportunity for us to bring golf to the masses in primetime during a period where we don’t have much going on in the world of golf,” Mickelson told reporters after his pro-am round for the Northern Trust Open, which kicks off the FedExCup playoffs. “It’s a way to show a side you don’t normally see by having us mic’d up to hear some of the interaction between us.”

The Rivalry

Woods, 42, and Mickelson, 48, have long been considered rivals—both on the court and in the business world.

In 2003, Mickelson poked at Tiger, saying that due to Woods’ Nike equipment, the lefty could now hit it farther.

“He hates that I can fly it past him now,” Mickelson said. “He has a faster swing speed than I do, but he has inferior equipment. Tiger is the only player who is good enough to overcome the equipment he’s stuck with.”

A year later the pair were partnered in the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills soon after Mickelson changed his equipment, moving to Callaway. It was a failure, with Mickelson later blaming the captain, Hal Sutton, as well as Tiger’s golf ball.

More recently, the two seem to have patched things up.

“Phil and I have a great banter,” Tiger said earlier this year. “We give each other the needle. We always have. But I think our relationship has certainly gotten a lot closer with me being a vice captain the last couple teams and sitting there and having very lengthy conversations with him about things, not just the pairings but just about things in general.

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