The reason Tiger Woods never respected Phil Mickelson has been revealed, ‘that was the ultimate sin’

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Golf has rarely had a rivalry quite as intriguing as the one involving Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, with the pair winning 21 major titles between them.

It was clear that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were not best friends during their careers.

The pair seemed to be, by far, the most popular players around. Tournament organisers rarely paired them together if they could avoid it to ensure that the crowds were somewhat spread around the course.

And of course, few will forget how calamitous pairing Woods and Mickelson together proved to be at the 2004 Ryder Cup. It is the decision Hal Sutton’s captaincy will unfortunately be remembered for.

Why Tiger Woods ‘never respected’ Phil Mickelson

Obviously, not every golfer is going to get along. But the friction between Woods and Mickelson was impossible to ignore given their status in the game.

And it appears that it was Mickelson’s attitude which really got to Woods.

Speaking on Pablo Torre Finds Out, writer Alan Shipnuck explained how Woods managed to overshadow Mickelson when he burst onto the scene in the 1990s.

“It’s easy to forget now with all the bluster and the bull—-ery who Phil was. It was a particularly dark time for American golf. The best players were Corey Pavin and Mark O’Meara and Tom Lehman. Very boring, very anodyne, charisma-free. And Phil arrived and he had aura. He had charisma. He was a star before he even got to the PGA Tour,” he said.

“He won a professional tournament while he was still an undergrad at Arizona State. And he had the popped collar and the slicked back hair, he was a good looking guy and he was the can’t-miss kid in golf.

“He was Tiger Woods before Tiger Woods arrived. And Phil was a larger than life character.

“Even early on, he lived big, he got his pilot license, he drove fast cars, he had a beautiful wife who was a cheerleader for the Phoenix Suns. And he played the game in this crazy sort of way where he was always living on the edge.

“It was high risk, high reward. He would self-immolate occasionally, but he was winning tournaments at a regular clip. And for three or four years, Phil was the golden boy. And then Tiger Woods turned pro and threw into sharp relief all the flaws in Phil’s game and lifestyle.

“You know Tiger never respected Phil because he recognised this was an awesome physical talent who was not really maximising what he’d been given. And in Tiger’s world, that was the ultimate sin.”

What Tiger Woods was able to stop Phil Mickelson doing during his remarkable career

Woods was certainly vindicated for heading down his path.

By the time Mickelson had won his first major title at the 2004 Masters, Woods had already won eight of the sport’s four biggest events.

It may be particularly satisfying for Woods that he ensured that Mickelson was never once able to call himself the world number one during his incredible career.

Of course, Woods was far from perfect. And Mickelson deserves enormous credit for his longevity, having won a sixth major title at the age of 50 and continuing to play at a decent level on LIV Golf at 55.

But when it comes to down to which player made the most of their peak years on the course, there is no question at all that Woods simply left his great rival behind.