"He Doesn't Get Credit For...": Phil Mickelson Said About Tiger Woods Years Ago

Jan 6, 2026, 6:30 PM CUT

Bildnummer: 03739327 Datum: 12.06.2008 Copyright: imago/Icon SMI Tiger Woods (li.) und Phil Mickelson (beide USA) - PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY (Icon4790392); Eldrick, Vdig, quer, US Open 2008, PGA Tour San Diego Torrey Pines Golf Herren Einzel Gruppenbild Aktion Personen Image number 03739327 date 12 06 2008 Copyright imago Icon Smi Tiger Woods left and Phil Mickelson both USA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY Icon4790392 Eldrick Vdig horizontal U.S. Open 2008 PGA Tour San Diego Torrey Pines Golf men Singles Group photo Action shot Human Beings

Tiger Woods is hailed as one of the greatest golfers ever to play. However, according to Phil Mickelson, he doesn’t get enough credit for a very different but crucial skill on the greens.

In an interview with Hines Ward from CNN Sports, the six-time major champion sat alongside the man himself, Woods, and talked about their highly anticipated head-to-head golf event named “The Match” in November 2018.

After Woods made a sarcastic comment about who was going to win in the interview, Mickelson praised his trash-talking skills.

"You know, Tiger is an underrated smack talker. He doesn’t get the credit for his smack talk because he does it so understated, and he does it under his breath, so nobody can hear it other than you. He does a great job of that," Mickelson said during the CNN interview.

152nd Open Championship Tiger Woods USA at the 18th during Round 2 of the 152nd Open Championship, Royal Troon Golf Club, Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. 18/07/2024. Picture: Thos Caffrey / Golffile.ie All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Thos Caffrey Troon Royal Troon Golf Club South Ayrshire Scotland Copyright: xThosxCaffreyx *EDI*

The event took place at the Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada, with ‌a $9 million prize purse. Mickelson ended up winning the event after 22 holes. After the six-time major champion won, he labeled Woods as “the greatest of all time,” but also got the chance to talk smack for beating him.

And the ability to tease your opponents is something great golfers seem to do well. Besides Woods, icons like Patrick Reed, John Daly, and even Rory McIlroy have engaged in trash talk.

How did the year 2025 go for Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods?

Although both Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are past their primes, both were featured in a few tournaments in 2025.

Phil participated in all major championships, starting with the Masters tournament in April. He delivered a bottom-of-the-pack performance, followed by similar results in the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. The six-time major champion did make the cut for the Open Championship, where he finished tied for 56th.

The situation was worse for Tiger Woods. The 15-time Major champ Woods missed the entire 2025 major season. He ruptured his Achilles tendon in March 2025 and got sidelined. That wasn't the end of his challenges as Woods underwent disc replacement in October last year.

"[Surgery] was a good thing to do, something I needed to have happen. It just takes time and dedication to the rehab process," he said after the surgery. However, the golfer who has had multiple back surgeries throughout his career is planning to come back from this one for the 2026 season.

Written by

Kalp Thaker

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi