The Coveted Green Jacket
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson don’t make a habit of playing practice rounds together. The Golf Channel said the last time they had done so for a non-team event was in 1998.
Well, everything old is new and everything old is old at Augusta National. So as the Masters nears, there were Woods and Mickelson playing the back nine together on Tuesday. The tournament, won a combined seven times by this pair, begins on Thursday.
Mickelson, 48, won the last of his three Masters in 2010. Woods, 42, won the last of his four in – believe it or not – 2005. Woods, after his many back surgeries, seems well-entrenched in his comeback and is a 10-1 favorite to win the Masters.
Mickelson’s game has also been on the rise, with a win at the WGC-Mexico Championship, a tie for second at Pebble Beach and a tie for third at the Safeway Open.
Imagine if these two can make all of those young flat-bellies on the tour sweat a bit as they bring back the old days. Woods wasn’t exactly optimistic he and Lefty would be strolling up to the tee box on 18 on Sunday with the tournament on the line.
“We’ve had a great 20-year battle,” Woods said. “Hopefully we’ll have a few more, but we understand where we are in the game now versus where we were in our early 20s, battling for who is going to be No. 1. That was then and certainly this is now.”
It’s fun to revisit the past. But for the next few days at Augusta, it will be great to live in the now at a venue that reveres the past.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman
-
The prolific tennis player will be taking some time off from the sport. On Sunday, Naomi Osaka, after her...
-
Impressive, though not quite where the ball is supposed to go. I know the goal of golf is to...
-
Tom Brady is returning to his former home turf. The new NFL season is set to kickoff on September...
-
Day One of the NFL Draft is Officially Upon Us
-
Serena Williams executive produces her life docuseries The international professional women’s tennis legend Serena Williams will be revealing more...
-
Colorado to host the 2021 MLB All-Star Game The Rockies MLB franchise is celebrating the return to the MLB...
-
International sporting event gets political The U.S. State Department is considering the option to boycott the upcoming 2022 Winter...
-
Changes to the long-standing baseball stadium to protect attendees Boston Red Sox fans will be welcomed back to Fenway...
-
The Olympics Committee promises vaccines for participants All sporting events around the world are facing changes with growing concerns...
-
Woods is recovering after emergency surgery Pro golfer Tiger Woods is recovering from surgery for serious leg injuries following...
-
Fan bets $50,000 for on-field fan interference Super Bowl LV might have been the biggest sporting event of 2021...
-
Creating a safe sporting event for fans and players The Super Bowl is the biggest night for the NFL...