When you think of the game of the golf and the all-time greats, it’s hard not to mention both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in any conversation that comes to light.
Woods, as we know, is a 15-time major winner and has only been bettered on that front by the legendary Jack Nicklaus.
Indeed, but for injury, Woods may well have surpassed Nicklaus to cement himself as the best to ever do it.
Of course, while Woods was dominant in his time, he was pushed hard for much of that time by Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson has six majors to his own name and countless PGA Tour wins to his name and for a long time, was considered the best player in the world.
However, like so many, he never quite got to Tiger Woods’ level and according to Tiger’s former coach Hank Haney, there was one key weakness which held Mickelson back.
Why Phil Mickelson never reached the same level of golf as Tiger Woods
Legendary coach Haney is well known for being by Woods’ side for much of his success and they enjoyed a successful six-year stint together.
Of course, Haney knows Woods – and Mickelson to an extent – more than most and giving a quote in Alan Shipnuck’s book about Mickelson, ‘Phil: The Rip-Roaring Biography of Golf’s Most Colourful Superstar’, Haney has revealed what separated Woods from Mickelson.
“You have to take the whole player as is, the whole package. You can’t swap out this piece or that piece, because if you change one thing you change everything,” Haney says.
“If Phil hits his driver straighter he would have been Tiger Woods. But you can’t have everything. Phil had one weakness but so many other strengths.
“To make him play another way, that would be like putting reins on a racehorse. You just gotta let them go. That’s how he plays golf, and it’s helped him enjoy it for a really long time and kept him engaged and kept him going forward.”
Phil Mickelson’s career compared to Tiger Woods
The comments from Haney here are very interesting and it does just show how good Woods was in all aspects of the game of golf.
Still, both Woods and Mickelson have enjoyed stellar careers and most golfers in the world would take either of their careers in a heartbeat.
Of course, Woods has the record for most PGA Tour wins with 82, a record tied with Sam Snead and some nine more than Jack Nicklaus. Mickelson has 45, and behind Woods, is the highest ranked currently active player in the top 20.
Mickelson has the six majors to Woods’ 15, albeit Phil has never won the US Open despite coming second on six occasions.
Both players are part of the World Golf Hall of Fame, but in terms of individual accolades, Woods swamps Mickelson, having won PGA Tour player of the Year a whopping eleven times.
Still, it’s quite the career Mickelson has had and who knows, his move to LIV might end up leaving a lasting impression on the game that even Woods can’t lay claim to.
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