Phil Mickelson ‘challenges’ Tiger Woods to golfing duel

It’s the dream pairing golf fans yearn for, but Phil Mickelson has upped the ante and called out Tiger Woods for a separate high-stakes shootout.

The veteran duo will play together, alongside another marquee player Rickie Fowler, in the first two rounds of the Players Championship at Sawgrass, Florida, this week, and 47-year-old Mickelson was in playful mood as he threw out the challenge to his old rival.

The pair, who have 19 majors between them, dueled at the top of the game for much of their careers and are both enjoying a new flush – Woods, 42, after making a promising return from back fusion surgery, and Mickelson with a first victory in five years in Mexico earlier this season.

They were last in the same group four years ago, but Mickelson sensed a chance to poke fun at the hype surrounding the pairing.

READ: Fan favorite Mickelson still pushing for grand slam

“So I love that we’re paired together,” Mickelson, a five-time major winner, told reporters earnestly. “I think it’s really fun.”

Warming to his theme, the current world No.19 added with a grin: “We haven’t been paired together in years, and as I look at the cover of the newspaper and the pairing is on there and the excitement that’s been going on around here, it gets me thinking, why don’t we just bypass all the ancillary stuff of a tournament and just go head-to-head and just have kind of a high-stake, winner-take-all match.

“Now, I don’t know if he wants a piece of me, but I just think it would be something that would be really fun for us to do, and I think there would be a lot of interest in it if we just went straight to the final round.”

READ: From ‘burned out’ top back on top – Jason Day wins again

Tiger Woods (left) and Phil Mickelson played a surprise practice round together ahead of the Masters.

‘Whatever makes him uncomfortable’

At Woods’ news conference later at Sawgrass he was asked about Mickelson’s proposition.

Pausing for effect, before flashing a smile, the former world No.1 – who has confirmed he will play at the British Open in Carnoustie in July – said: “I’m definitely not against that. We’ll play for whatever makes him uncomfortable.”

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Updated 10:57 AM EDT, Wed May 9, 2018

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Woods and Mickelson rarely played together on Thursdays and Fridays in their heyday, with tournament organizers keeping them apart to spread their top talent across the TV schedules.

They were never friends as they battled for supremacy, but they have become closer in recent years through Woods’ role as a vice captain in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, and, in turn, Mickelson’s support for his old foe during his many back issues.

Their surprise practice round together at Augusta ahead of the Masters set tongues wagging about golf’s new bromance.

“We’ve always had a mutual respect over the years, and I’ve always appreciated what he’s done for the game of golf,” added Mickelson. “Fifteen years ago my record against him sucked, and now it’s OK. I’m doing better as time has gone on.”

READ: Patrick Reed’s Masters secret? An eye test and contacts…

Mickelson said Woods’ performances in the early 2000s – he won four straight majors from 2000-2001, including the US Open by a record 15 strokes – was the “benchmark” and the “greatest” golf ever played.

“I don’t think anybody… will ever see that level of play again,” he said.

“It was the most remarkable golf in the history of the game, and I think unrepeatable. I think it was that good. I look at 2000 as being kind of the benchmark, at the US Open as being the greatest golf I’ve ever witnessed and I believe ever has been played.

“And it sucked to have to play against him. It really did.”

He added: “The guys today look back, and they say, come on, how much better could he have been and so forth, and it just goes to show you that they weren’t there to witness it.”

READ: Short, but not sweet – the world’s best par-three golf holes

Tiger Woods clinched his fifth Masters and 15th major title with victory at Augusta in April.

The former world No. 1 had not won the Masters since 2005, and it was his first major win since 2008.

A month after winning the Masters, Woods received the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Donald Trump.

Woods won the season-ending Tour Championship in September 2018. It was his first title in five years following a succession of back injuries.

Signs that Woods was back to his best were obvious at August's PGA Championship, where he finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka. It followed an impressive showing at July's British Open, where he briefly topped the leaderboard.

Woods made an impressive return to competitive golf in 2018 after multiple back surgeries in recent years. He played his first Masters in three years in April 2018.

The four-time champion had back fusion surgery -- his fourth procedure -- in April 2017 and returned to the game pain-free in December. He finished tied 32nd at Augusta.

Woods was touted as one of the favorites after impressing in his early-season events. He also set tongues wagging by playing a practice round with old rival Phil Mickelson, right.

Woods finished tied second at the Valspar Championship in March 2018 and followed it up with a tie for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The hype needle moved into overdrive.

Woods set out on his legendary path by becoming the youngest winner of the Masters -- at 21 -- with a record 12-shot win in 1997.

One of his most remarkable feats was winning his first US Open by an unprecedented 15 shots at Pebble Beach, California, in 2000, sparking a streak never seen before or since.

Woods' victory in the 2001 Masters meant he held all four of golf's major titles at the same time, dubbed the "Tiger Slam."

Woods' win rate, his dedication to fitness training and his desire to succeed were changing golf. Prize money rocketed because of Woods. Off the course, he married girlfriend Elin Nordegren in 2004.

Woods showed rare emotion when he broke down in tears on the shoulder of caddie Steve Williams following his win in the 2006 British Open at Hoylake, months after his father and mentor Earl passed away.

Despite being visibly hampered and in pain from a knee injury, Woods won the US Open in breathtaking fashion at Torrey Pines, California, in 2008. It was his 14th major title to leave him only four behind the record of Jack Nicklaus. He was later diagnosed with knee ligament damage and two fractures of his left tibia. He missed the rest of the season after surgery. It is still his last major title.

In December 2009, Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant outside his home. As the big picture emerged it was discovered Woods had been conducting a series of extra martial affairs. He took three months away from the game to sort out his private life.

In February 2010 Woods addressed the world's media to explain and apologise for his actions. His infidelity led to divorce and was the beginning of a downhill slide in Woods' playing career. By October he lost the world No. 1 ranking, a position he had held for 281 consecutive weeks

Back in the fold, Woods earned his first win in two years at the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011, a charity tournament he hosts that does not count on the PGA Tour money list.

Woods was back in the winner's circle in 2013, lifting five titles, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, to get back to the top of the rankings.

In March 2013, Woods and Lindsey Vonn announced they were dating on Facebook. In January that year, the champion skier had finalized her divorce from Thomas Vonn, after initializing proceedings in 2011. In May 2015, Woods and Vonn announced their breakup, with the golfer claiming he "hadn't slept" in the days following.

Later in 2013 there were signs all was not well as Woods was seen to be in pain as he picked the ball out of the hole at the Barclays tournament in August. He missed the Masters the following April for the first time since 1994 to undergo back surgery.

Woods pulled out of the Farmers Insurance Open in February 2015, and struggled with injury and form for the rest of the season.

Woods cut a dejected figure at that year's US Open as he struggled with his game and carded rounds of 80 and 76 to miss the cut.

In August 2015 Woods made his last appearance for 15 months to undergo follow-up back surgeries. At one stage during his rehabilitation, Woods spoke of there being "no light at the end of the tunnel" -- and with one eye on his fading career, he suggested "everything beyond this will be gravy."

Woods made a much-anticipated return to golf in December 2016, showing signs of promise with the highest number of birdies in the field -- 24 -- but he also made a number of costly errors to finish third from last in the 18-man event.

He missed the cut in his first event of 2017 in the US and pulled out after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in February, citing back spasms. He underwent a fourth back prodecure in April.

The golf legend was arrested Monday, May 29, on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was booked into a local jail in Florida and released a few hours later. He said in a statement he had "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications."

In August Woods entered a first-offender program and pleaded guilty to reckless driving on October 28. He will avoid jail unless he commits major violations of his probation.

Woods returned to golf after 301 days at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on November 30 2017. He carded a three-under first-round 69 and appeared pain-free and hungry to resume his career.

Tiger Woods: From highs to lows

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‘Harder to win than a major’

For his part, 14-time major winner Woods said Mickelson was the name he always looked for on a leaderboard.

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“We have always looked at each other and said, where is he on the board,” he said. “That’s what Arnold (Palmer) and Jack (Nicklaus) used to do all the time. They’d always try and find, okay, what’s – what’s Jack at. And the same thing with Jack, where’s Arnie at. It’s been either way for our entire careers.

“For me to be able to play with a person I’ve gone against for over two decades, it’s a lot of fun.”

The Players Championship, held over the exacting Stadium course with its iconic island-green 17th, attracts the deepest field of the season and ranks for many as akin to a major. It is often dubbed golf’s “fifth major.”

Jordan Spieth even said it was “harder to win than a major.”

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“If you win here, you can win anywhere else,” he told reporters.