Phil Mickelson admits what Tiger Woods could do at majors which gave him an advantage over most of the field

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Phil Mickelson has detailed one shot that Tiger Woods could hit at major championships, which gave the 15-time major winner a massive advantage over the rest of the field.

During the mid-2000s, Mickelson was Woods’ biggest rival and the most likely player to challenge him in the majors. 2006, in particular, was an iconic year for the duo.

Woods won The Open and PGA Championship after Mickelson had claimed the green jacket at Augusta. The same year, Mickelson famously crumbled on the 72nd hole at the US Open, allowing Geoff Ogilvy to win by one shot at Winged Foot. The US Open remains the only major standing between Mickelson and a career grand slam.

Many suggest Mickelson’s driving prevented him from competing regularly with Woods. Mickelson, however, believes Woods’ ability to hit the ball high was crucial in the year’s four most important events.

Phil Mickelson details Tiger Woods major strength

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Speaking during a recent YouTube video with online personality Grant Horvat, Mickelson claimed Woods’ speed and trajectory gave him a unique advantage.

“In majors, you have to hit your long irons high,” Mickelson said. “That is why Tiger was so great at them. He had that speed to get the ball so high and come in vertical, so he could get the ball to stop on these greens that others couldn’t.

Horvat replied: “Scottie and Bryson, the same?”

Mickelson added: Well, they have incredible speed.”

Scottie Scheffler v Bryson DeChambeau v Tiger Woods swing speed

So, just how fast was Woods during his prime? Interestingly, the American was near the peak of his powers speed-wise at the 2018 Honda Classic.

Woods clocked a top speed of 128mph and was ranked second for driving distance. Even during this year’s US Open, the 15-time major winner was out-driving Matt Fitzpatrick and Will Zalatoris during the first two rounds.

To add some context to Woods’ numbers, Scottie Scheffler’s average club head speed during the 2024 season was around 118mph. And Bryson DeChambeau, at his heaviest, was clocking an average speed of 132mph, resulting in ball speeds exceeding 200mph.