Is this the end of the line for Tiger Woods & Phil Mickelson? There was once a time their rivalry was the most anticipated contest in the sport. Fans were glued to their televisions if Woods and Mickelson were ever competing for a title in the final round. Everyone got to witness two of the most prolific golfers in their prime trying to one-up each other, and there was nothing better to see at that time. In fact, Capital One took advantage of the same and sponsored The Match: Tiger vs. Phil in November 2018 to pit them against each other.
However, these fierce rivals have grown much older since then. Tiger Woods has been struggling with major health issues. Phil Mickelson is not the player he was back then. The two also represent different leagues, which makes it difficult for them to face each other regularly. Latest reports also reveal how they have fallen off the radar recently.
Nosferatu brought attention to some shocking information about the G.O.A.T. on X. Turns out, Woods has fallen to his lowest OWGR right now. They tweeted, “🚨BREAKING @TigerWoods dropped to #1341 in the world, which is now the lowest #OWGR position in his career. Previous ‘low’ was #1328 (Nov-23). Obviously, this will keep going down in the weeks to come, before, hopefully, will get better again…🐯.” Yes, the 82x PGA Tour winner is the 1341st-ranked golfer in the world. As unbelievable as it sounds, it is a fact.
Phil Mickelson is also pretty low in the rankings. He currently sits at 1056th place on the OWGR leaderboard. In fact, this is also the worst ranking Mickelson has had in his illustrious career. From this stage, it seems that both Woods and his rival might not be able to improve their rankings.
Having said that, let’s take a look at their last few runs in the events that give OWGR points.
Tiger Woods & Phil Mickelson’s fast five OWGR-authorized tournaments
Tiger Woods has been out of commission for quite some time now. His last appearance in an authorized event was in The Open Championship back in July 2024. It wasn’t as fruitful as some of his best runs in the majors, as he missed the cut with a 14-over-par 156. It was one of the five tournaments Woods played in 2024. He only made the cut in one of them, the 2024 Masters Tournament. But despite a great first couple of rounds where he finished at +1, the 15x major winner still failed to capitalize on the momentum and ended the tournament in the last position after the cut.
Phil Mickelson’s most recent authorized event was the 2025 Masters Tournament. However, he too had an abysmal time at Augusta National. Unlike Woods, Mickelson missed the cut for the weekend rounds. He showcased one of the worst performances by a LIV Golf player in the tournament this year alongside Sergio Garcia. However, the 54-year-old had a far better time in the majors in 2024. Lefty missed the cut in the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. However, he finished about Woods in the Masters at T43. However, his performance in the Open Championship in 2024 matched the G.O.A.T.’s run in the Green Jacket event as the former finished at T60. Considering how their careers have derailed before retirement, it’s hard to imagine Phil Mickelson & Tiger Woods rising up the ranks again. Wouldn’t you agree?
