Saturday, November
30, 2002
Woods, Mickelson
together again in Skins Game
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
INDIO, Calif. (AP)
- Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson don't play practice rounds together.
They never have played with or against each other in exhibitions
like the World Cup or the Battle at Bighorn. If they have lunch
together, it's usually by accident.
The world's two best
golfers will be together all weekend at the Skins Game, the most
popular silly season event that suddenly doesn't seem all that
silly.
"I think there
will be a little more added interest ... because certainly when
we play against each other, there is an added intensity on both
parts," Mickelson said.
That's the problem
_ it doesn't happen all that much.
They played together
in only one tournament all year, the season-ending Tour Championship.
Before that it was the final round of the 2001 Masters, where
Woods prevailed for an unprecedented fourth straight major title.
Mickelson is 2-up
this year, a hollow victory.
He shot an even-par
70 to Woods' 71 in the opening round of the Tour Championship,
then closed with a 69 (Woods had a 70) at East Lake Golf Club.
Both finished well behind Vijay Singh, and they could make the
argument they were not competing against each other.
This time they are.
Woods and Mickelson
will join Fred Couples and Mark O'Meara as the Skins Game returns
to its regular format. Whoever has the best score wins the hole.
If there is a tie, the skins carry over until someone wins a hole
outright.
The first six holes
are worth $25,000 each, the next six holes are worth $50,000,
the next five holes are worth $70,000, and the 18th hole is worth
$200,000.
A year ago, no one
could win a skin unless he validated it by having at least a share
of the best score on the next hole. The experiment failed when
no one won a skin until Greg Norman prevailed in a playoff and
claimed all 18 skins and the $1 million pot.
"This is a format
that provides a lot of instant pressure," Mickelson said.
"As the skins' value goes up, the pressure seems to mount
on the players, and the importance of each putt seems to get bigger
rather quickly."
While having the
top two players at Landmark Golf Club for the ConAgra Foods Skins
Game is certain to pique the interest, it doesn't guarantee great
golf.
"When we have
played together, for whatever reason, we have not played our best
golf," Mickelson said, an opinion validated by Woods' father.
During an interview
two years ago, Earl Woods pointed out several player who seemed
to bring out the best in his son. Lefty was not on that list.
"I don't know
why that is," Earl Woods said. "There's no rational
explanation."
Even more peculiar
is their relationship.
Mickelson has gone
on a campaign in recent months to dispel rumors that he and Woods
don't get along.
"Somebody came
up with a story, and it just kept going," Lefty said. "We
get along great. I don't know what else to say. I enjoy being
around him."
Mickelson says they
simply lead different lifestyles. He's married with two children.
Woods is single, with a Swedish model for a girlfriend.
"The difficulty
in having a relationship with Tiger is that he is so limited in
what he can do," Mickelson said. "He's not really able
to go out to dinner or sporting events or do things on the road.
He needs to stay private. It's very difficult being him.
"I give him
a lot of credit for the way he handles things, because I don't
know if I'd be able to do that. He handles a very difficult situation
very well."
Strangely enough,
Mickelson never has played in the Skins Game, even though the
format seems to suit his style.
Why this year?
Part of it is his
schedule. Mickelson's wife is expecting their third child at the
end of March, and he plans to get in his golf while he can. Mickelson
also is playing in the Target World Challenge next week, then
the World Cup in Mexico with David Toms.
"I think it
would be a cool tournament to play in," Mickelson said.
Known for being the
best player without a major title, Mickelson is just as famous
for his aggressive, gambling style.
"I don't think
there's any question that aggressive play is going to be the style
of choice," Mickelson said. "You have to make birdies
to win skins. It doesn't behoove you to play steadily. I think
that this will be a format you not only see me playing aggressively,
but everybody else, too."
Woods was plenty
aggressive earlier this week, shooting rounds of 66-61 to win
the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Hawaii by 14 strokes.
The Skins Game has
been another story.
Woods won only two
skins in his debut at age 20 in 1996, and he claimed three skins
the next year. He didn't return until 2001, and he was shut out
under the validation system. Even under a regular format, Woods
would have won only one skin.
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