Tiger Woods TROLLS Phil Mickelson ahead of $9million rivalry showdown
TIGER WOODS has trash-talked Phil Mickelson ahead of the pair’s matchplay exhibition next week.
Woods and Mickelson are taking part in a matchplay event named ’The Match’ on November 23.
The winner will take home $9million while the loser walks away without a dime.
Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas will host the Thanksgiving extravaganza, pitting two generational golfers against one another.
Despite denying past rifts in the build-up to the event, both men notoriously did not like each other during their pomps.
I’ve been in Phil’s head for 20 years
Although six years Mickelson’s junior, Woods took exception to his rival’s emergence on the Tour, which chiefly occurred during Woods’ seminal dominance in the 2000s.
Woods’ mum used to reference Mickelson’s weight often and did not like the thought of her son being eclipsed by a cheesy-grinned left-hander.
Both players will be mic’d up during the 18-hole exhibition, adding to the excitement of the occasion.
When asked about that detail and whether Woods could use it to his advantage and engage in mental warfare with Mickelson, the gold legend replied perfectly.
“I’ve been in Phil’s head for 20 years,” quipped Woods on NBA on TNT.
Woods then cracked a trademark grin and added: “Just look at the Ws.”
Although things seem jovial in the build-up, the extent to which Woods despised Mickelson was revealed in the 2018 biography ‘Tiger Woods’.
.@TigerWoods is ready... ??????#CapitalOnesTheMatch - November 23 on @BRLive pic.twitter.com/aUK2zqWQ6j
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 16, 2018
“Tiger had never particularly liked Mickelson and went out of his way to badmouth him, routinely referring to him as ‘Phony Phil’,” the book reads.
“Tiger’s disdain for Mickelson went beyond the ropes, though.
“Mickelson was a perennial fan favourite. With his everyman image, which Tiger, like many regulars on Tour, felt was artificial.”