Phil Mickelson shows true colours with fresh comments about Tiger Woods

LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson has lavished praise onPGA Tourlegend Tiger Woods, deeming him the greatest golfer ever. During a candid chat with YouTuber Grant Horvat, Mickelson, who gained huge respect on the PGA Tour, reflected on their rivalry, particularly noting Woods' early career dominance.

"He owned me the first half of our careers," the much-admired Mickelson admitted. "His record against me head-to-head was dominant. It is now even when we play together.

"Obviously, his record is his record. He's the greatest of all time," the 55-year-old continued. "I've seen him do things with a golf ball that I've never seen anyone else do. His play in 2000 was indescribable. He owned me in the early part of our careers, and the second part, I owned him. Our head-to-head record is, I believe, dead even."

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Throughout his illustrious career, Woods amassed an impressive array of victories including at prestigious venues like Pebble Beach and Bay Hill as well as major tournament triumphs at Masters, the US Open, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship, and not to mention, team success at the EMC World Cup.

As per NBC Sports' data, up until 2020, out of the 38 rounds they played together, Woods bettered Mickelson's score 19 times, reports the Mirror US.

On the flip side, Mickelson secured 15 victories, and in four instances, the pair finished level. Despite Mickelson's successes, Woods narrowly leads in total strokes, carding 2,653 against Mickelson's 2,678.

When matched up, Woods had the upper hand in average score with 69.60 compared to Mickelson's 69.91, clinched more tournament victories with 10 against Mickelson's five and collectively finished a remarkable 20 strokes under par.

Throughout his career, Mickelson has tallied up an impressive 45 PGA Tour wins, secured six major titles, and holds the title of oldest major champion in the annals of golf.

His victory at the 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a "Tiger Slayer" driver was particularly striking, where he outshone Charlie Wi and left Woods trailing in 15th place. That notable day saw Mickelson pocketing £815,000 ($1.1 million) in prize money, whilst Woods collected a mere £75,000 ($102,000) by comparison.

Mickelson may have hailed Woods as the greatest golfer ever, though Woods himself reserves that honour for Jack Nicklaus.

Woods, who shares the record with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour wins at 82, is just three major victories shy of Nicklaus' tally. Nonetheless, Woods steadfastly views Nicklaus as the true greatest golfer.

Nicklaus stated that Bobby Jones was golf's preeminent player. He conceded that barring injuries, Woods could have become the unsurpassed champion.

Jones is celebrated for achieving a Grand Slam within a calendar year, snagging the British Open, US Open, British Amateur, and US Amateur crowns.

"We all have injuries, we all have different things in our lives which change things, and Tiger had his problems," Nicklaus said. "I feel bad for him about it, but it is what it is. He's still a great influence on the game of golf."