Sports
Phil Mickelson Left the Cutest Note for Tiger Woods Following the 2019 Masters
Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sports7 in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sports7. Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes. In addition to his work here at Sports7, Luke's work has appeared on The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.
All posts by Luke NorrisUpdated21 Apr 2020
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have engaged in an epic rivalry over the years. But that doesn't mean there's no respect there.
With the golf world currently shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak, The Masters, which was supposed to take place this past week, has been rescheduled for November, which gives Tiger Woods a little more time with his green jacket. But that didn't stop CBS from still bringing golf fans some coverage from Augusta National over the weekend. This past Saturday, the final round of Phil Mickelson's first major championship win at The Masters in 2004 was the focus.
On Sunday, it was Tiger's turn as the final round of his 2019 Masters triumph was shown, which included an incredible live interview with CBS Sports' Jim Nantz. The official Twitter account of The Masters also joined in the fun, showing some fantastic behind-the-scenes shots in the Champions Locker Room following Woods' comeback win.
While all the pictures were fantastic, one stood out more than the rest: a note hanging in the locker of Tiger Woods from none other than Phil Mickelson.
The build to the 2019 Masters
When the 2019 edition of The Masters began, Tiger Woods had been stuck on 14 major championships for close to 11 years, his last coming at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines where he famously beat Rocco Mediate with a broken leg.
Woods missed The Masters in 2016 and 2017 as he was dealing with multiple back injuries but made a triumphant return in 2018. He was leading The Open Championship during the final round on Sunday at Carnoustie, eventually finishing in a tie for sixth. He was the runner-up at the PGA Championship and then got back in the winner's circle for the first time in five years with a victory at the season-ending Tour Championship. He also notched PGA Tour win No. 82, tying him with Sam Snead atop the all-time list, with a victory at the ZOZO Championship in October.
Tiger Woods was back. But could he actually win a 15th major championship? The world would soon find out the answer.
Tiger Woods wins the 2019 Masters
Until the final round, Tiger Woods never led the 2019 Masters. Following the first round, Woods was four shots behind co-leaders Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, shooting a 2-under round of 70. Midway through the tournament, he had cut the lead to one, firing a second-round 68 to get to 6-under.
A third-round 67 put Tiger two shots behind leader Francesco Molinari heading into Sunday's final round and he found himself in the final threesome with Molinari and Tony Finau, who was tied with Woods at 11-under. The final round of the 2019 edition of The Masters was one of the best in recent memory. Augusta National often provides plenty of drama but there was something different in the air that day.
The leaderboard shuffled often with Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Brooks Koepka, Jason Day, Webb Simpson, Tony Finau, Francisco Molinari, and Tiger Woods all battling for the title of 2019 Masters champion. Tiger finally took the lead on his own with a birdie at the par-5 15th and never looked back. He birdied the par-3 16th and made par at the 17th to take a two-stroke lead to the final hole, needing just a bogey to win, which is exactly what happened. He tapped in for a five at the last and threw his arms in the air in victory as Jim Nantz called it “the return to glory.” It completed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sports.
Phil Mickelson left Tiger a note in the locker room to congratulate him
As Tiger Woods walked off the 18th hole of The Masters with his family, he was greeted by a number of his fellow competitors, including past champions Bubba Watson and Bernhard Langer and some that will likely own a green jacket in the future, such as Justin Thomas.
One person we didn't see afterward was Phil Mickelson, who had already left the course following his final round, a round of par 72 that left him in a tie for 18th. However, what we didn't know until this past weekend was that Lefty had placed a note in Tiger Woods' locker in the Champions Locker Room. He either knew that Tiger was going to win when he left or was perhaps going for some irony. Either way, knowing that Mickelson took some time to write out a note on a Masters napkin is just adorable.
Tiger,
So impressive!
What a great tournament you played! So very happy for you!
Phil
Phil Mickelson's note to Tiger Woods following the 2019 Masters
Yes, it's better for the rivalry if he was going the ironic route but I truly believe that he was being serious with it. Again, while the two have always been very competitive with one another, there's no doubt that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson respect one another. And this note is just so darn cute, isn't it?
