This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on April 18, 2022 - April 24, 2022

As reversals of fortune go, they don’t come more dramatic. Tiger Woods almost stole the show at the 86th US Masters just by being there, while Phil Mickelson’s absence was barely noticed. Just 11 months ago, Mickelson had capped a glorious career by becoming the oldest winner of a major amid euphoric scenes at the PGA championship. Tiger was still unable to walk after a near-fatal single-car accident that left him wondering whether he’d ever play again.

It has been a greater swing than either have experienced on a golf course and, for both, the wounds were self-inflicted. Tiger had a car crash; Mickelson gave a car-crash interview. In getting into bed with the rebel Saudi Golf League (SGL), he found a deep bunker and, with each attempt to get out, the lie became more unplayable.

His famous lob wedge was unable to escape accusations of epic greed and stupidity. It was by insisting he was only trying to get more money out of the PGA Tour that he lost the respect of pretty much everyone. Golf’s blue-eyed boy lost America. And didn’t dare show his face at Augusta.

Tiger and Phil, Phil and Tiger: Two Californians separated by five years but not close enough to be a duel of equals — Tiger (15 majors, 82 PGA Tour wins and numerous miracles to Mickelson’s six and 45) is clearly superior. “Lefty”, as Phil is widely known, would often wonder, “How much would I have won if this guy had not come along?” For a quarter of a century, they frequently stepped in each other’s line. And even when one of them wasn’t playing, they’d evoke comparisons — and stark contrasts.

While Mickelson was trying to get his head straight this month, Tiger was putting his body through the wringer. We can only marvel at the mental strength required to cajole his many-times-broken 46-year-old frame with a fused spine, metal rod in the right leg and enough nuts and bolts for a household tool kit up and down Augusta’s daunting undulations — and still swing well enough to make the cut.

He admitted every step was painful but he didn’t show it, apart from a worsening limp and a long ice bath afterwards: Tiger has always had enough grit for the entire field. He won the 2008 US Open with a broken leg, which made runner-up Rocco Mediate gasp: “This guy does things that are just not normal by any stretch of the imagination.” Tiger called it “my greatest ever championship”.

Some are now saying that this one is — just for showing up. And Tiger agrees that “it’s one of them”. He finished 47th but got the greatest roars, the largest galleries, made the biggest impact. On Day 2, ESPN’s ratings were an insane 31% up on 2021 and he put golf back on the front pages. It’s known as the “Tiger effect” and, even after a single practice round and with a creaking body, he still delivered it.

As Mickelson musters the courage to go public again, he must wonder how his rival does it. For a so-called “smart alec” — Tiger’s name for him — his comments that damned him were the dumbest he’d ever made. It has been 50 days since he apologised and he has been persona non grata ever since. “Scary m***********s” is what he called the people he’d been in cahoots with — and he wasn’t just talking.

Unlike those whose heads were merely turned by the dizzying offers, Mickelson was in deep. He even paid lawyers to draw up the SGL operating agreement. When he accused the Tour, where he has won almost US$100 million in prize money, of “obnoxious greed”, no pot had ever screamed more darkly about a kettle. In the end, he acknowledged: “I know they execute people over there for being gay, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Veteran pro Pat Perez rasped: “If he was actually trying to help the players, he did it completely wrong. I don’t know how he could have done it more wrong.” Rory McIlroy dismissed the comments as “naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant”. There could be worse but, if anyone had agreed to a life-changing deal to switch, they won’t be telling.

His words also betrayed a love of money. As if the rewards were not enough, Mickelson always hankered after more. Typical was “The Match” with Tiger in 2018, a winner-take-all single round behind which he was the driving force. He duly took all the US$9 million in winnings after four playoff holes.

Like Tiger, Mickelson has a skeleton in his locker. Where Tiger’s was women, Lefty’s is gambling. He has referred to “liking a bet” from time to time but, for a man who has made US$800 million out of the game (mostly from sponsorship), few thought it amounted to much. But there were some questionable business deals as well. A gambling friend got into trouble with insider trading and depended on Mickelson to bail him out. He refused.

The man told ESPN: “Here is a guy that all he had to do was come forward and tell the truth. The guy wouldn’t do that because he was concerned about his image.” Today, he’s still concerned about image rights, more than human rights.

According to The Sunday Times, Mickelson had to pay back the US$931,000 profit (plus US$105,000 interest) he’d made on that deal. Early in his career, it was rumoured that Callaway, one of the first sponsors to drop him, had to clear his gambling debts. Incredible as it may seem, there have been times when the jet-setting multimillionaire has been short of cash. He had to sell his beloved jet but mostly managed to keep it quiet.

Tiger’s weakness, on the other hand, exploded into a full-blown scandal and ended his marriage. There were some desperately low moments: a toe-curling press conference where he officially owned up to “sex addiction”, and when he was found lost with a spaced-out look at the wheel of a stationary car on a lonely highway. No one thought there was any way back from either.

But while Tiger fronted up, Mickelson has hidden. It goes a long way to explaining who is higher in the affections of the golf world and wider public right now. It will also affect how their careers wind down and the legacy they leave. For Mickelson, the role of wise elder statesman now looks to be gone, as does the Ryder Cup captaincy.

All that is still on for Tiger and, in July, there’s the British Open’s 150th anniversary at St Andrews, a course he loves second only to Augusta. On the evidence of the four days at Augusta, he just needs more gym and more practice. One target is to break the all-time record number of Tour victories that he shares with Sam Snead at 82.

With exciting new names winning majors — World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, 25, took the Masters — golf looks in good shape. And just how, in the autumn of their careers, the two wounded giants go about their respective repair jobs — to swing and reputation — will be a fascinating part of its immediate future.

Bob Holmes is a longtime sportswriter specialising in football

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