In the sprawling landscape of golf’s golden era, two names towered over the rest: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Woods, the surgical tactician, captured the sport’s imagination with 15 major championships and 82 PGA Tour wins, rewriting history and turning fairways into his personal kingdom. From his record-shattering 1997 Masters win at age 21 to his awe-inspiring 2019 comeback at Augusta, Woods has spent decades as the undisputed measuring stick of greatness.
Mickelson, the left-handed showman from San Diego, carved out an extraordinary legacy of his own. A 45-time PGA Tour winner and six-time major champion, he thrilled fans with his creative shot-making and high-risk, high-reward approach. But, where Woods was a global phenomenon, Mickelson often seemed cast in a permanent supporting role, no matter how stellar his achievements. And therein lies the problem.
For years, analysts and fans alike have suggested that Mickelson’s legacy has been unfairly overshadowed by Woods’s dominance. On a recent episode of 5Clubs, author Michael Arkush, creator of The Golf 100, and longtime golf analyst Gary Williams dug into the nuance of this imbalance. Williams didn’t mince words: “I think about, like, for a player like Phil Mickelson—you are so talented, and literally five years later, somebody comes along who’s not just better than you at basically everything…” he said. “And of course, it’s Tiger I’m talking about.”
Williams’s point is that Mickelson’s greatness didn’t unfold in a vacuum, but in Tiger Woods’s orbit. Woods, a fellow Southern Californian, didn’t just arrive with talent; he detonated onto the scene, winning the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes and changing the face of golf. Mickelson, who didn’t win his first major until 2004, had to climb out of Tiger’s immense shadow just to be noticed. Despite this, Mickelson’s résumé is jaw-dropping. He has 45 career Tour wins—more than legends like Tom Watson and Gene Sarazen—and he’s the only player in history to win a major after turning 50. “You do something that’s not likely to be done by the other guy, and that is: win a major after 50,” Williams added, referencing Mickelson’s improbable triumph at the 2021 PGA Championship.
Michael Arkush sat down with @Garywilliams1Up and talked about his book, The Golf – 100 where he even thought about leaping Bobby Jones ahead of @jacknicklaus & @TigerWoods
Watch Full Podcast: https://t.co/FWFxplYUez
Proud partner: @petermillar pic.twitter.com/A1UGALg5he
— 5 Clubs (@5ClubsGolf) July 3, 2025
But, instead of being celebrated, Mickelson’s legacy has grown more polarizing, partly due to his high-profile defection to LIV Golf. “And I think the LIV part is why people will maybe disparage him even more. I think what he managed to do—with Tiger being in that vortex—makes him historically underrated.” Mickelson didn’t just win; he persisted. He lost six U.S. Opens—the only major that eluded him—and still returned each year, chasing history with unrelenting drive. “He’s got the oldest major championship win. He’s got the six seconds in the one that eluded him—and he kept, again, trying, trying.” Where does that leave his place in history? Williams put it bluntly: “I think he’s 11th. Maybe 10th.”
Yet for all his persistence and accolades, Mickelson’s recent form tells a different story. Even as his historical standing is debated, his current trajectory raises difficult questions about where his fire has gone and what might have once fueled it. Yet again, it might just be Tiger Woods.
No Tiger, no fire?
Since his win at the 2021 PGA Championship, Phil Mickelson has quietly slipped from the spotlight. Now 55, he hasn’t claimed a PGA Tour event in over four years. His performances have been scattered—more missed cuts than made ones—and he’s currently ranked outside the top 250 in the Official World Golf Ranking. His stint with LIV Golf hasn’t revived his competitive edge either, delivering far more headlines than highlight reels.
Some believe it’s more than age or form—it’s about the absence of a once-in-a-generation rival. For nearly two decades, Woods and Mickelson were the yin and yang of professional golf. Tiger, the precision-striker. Phil, the daring artist. In a 2018 interview ahead of their $9 million showdown in Las Vegas, Mickelson admitted as much. “And I feel like Tiger coming along during my career and playing as well as he did get the best out of me,” he said. “It took a 100% dedication… very possibly would not be to that degree had he not come along.” That match—The Match—was more than spectacle. Under the lights at Shadow Creek, Mickelson beat Woods on the 22nd hole. It was symbolic, not just for the cash prize, but for what it meant: even in their 40s, they could still push each other to the edge. Woods acknowledged the demands of sustained excellence, telling CNN, “Was it good enough to be consistent? That’s a different story.” Mickelson replied with hopeful ambition, predicting a “phenomenal year” ahead.
But 2025 tells a different tale. Woods, battling injury and age, has barely competed since his 2022 car accident. Mickelson, meanwhile, seems adrift—like a fighter still in the ring, but with no opponent to chase. His greatness once lived in the heat of Tiger’s shadow. Without it, the spotlight feels colder.
The post Golf Analyst Says Tiger Woods Is Why Phil Mickelson Isn’t Celebrated Enough appeared first on EssentiallySports.