MEDINAH – Tiger Woods insisted “we’re fine,” while Phil Mickelson gushed about Woods as if he were the best thing ever to wear golf shoes.
If there’s bad blood between golf’s top two players, it was hardly noticeable yesterday as they prepared for the start of the 88th PGA Championship tomorrow at Medinah Country Club.
“I love the chance to compete against such a great competitor,” Mickelson gushed yesterday. “He’s one of the best players of all time, if not the best. It’s been a fun challenge for me and the other guys to play against him.” There is a long-standing tradition at the PGA Championship in which the winners of the previous three majors are paired together for the first two rounds of the year’s final major. That means Mickelson, winner of the 2006 Masters, and Woods, the 2006 British Open champ, will be matched along with U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy for at least the first two rounds, tomorrow and Friday.
It will be only the second time Woods and Mickelson have been in the same pairing at a major. They played in the final group on Sunday of the 2001 Masters, where Woods won with a 68 while Mickelson shot 70 to finish third. Woods also won a final round duel at Doral in 2005, but Mickelson has won three majors since then.
Neither player has ever been forthcoming about their relationship. And while they may not be sworn enemies, it’s doubtful they exchange Christmas cards.
“Obviously, I get along with other players better than others and that’s just the way it is,” Woods said. “Sometimes I talk, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I’m in the mood to talk; sometimes I’m not going to say a word even if my best friend is out there.
You’re there to win a tournament. We can always go out for a beer later.” Chances are Woods and Mickelson have never shared a beer, which makes their pairing tomorrow intriguing even to Ogilvy. “It’s going to be interesting to see how they (get) along with each other,” Ogilvy said.
“It’ll be quite funny and the crowd will be quite vocal and right into it.” Mickelson is the defending champion, having won at Baltusrol last year, but Woods is the heavy favorite here having won the British and the Buick Invitational two weeks ago. A victory would make either Woods or Mickelson the frontrunner for the Player of the Year award, a title that would redeem Mickelson from his collapse on the final hole at Winged Foot.
“I love being in this pairing because it means you have won a major,” Mickelson said. “Any time you have won a major, it makes for a great year.” While Woods is clearly in form, Mickelson hasn’t played well since his meltdown on the final hole at Winged Foot. He finished tied for 65 at the Western, tied for 22nd at the British Open and missed the cut last week at the International.
Coincidence?
“I haven’t played to the level that I expected to in those three events that I have played,” Mickelson said.
“But I’ve been gearing towards this event and trying to put everything into this event. I expect to play well.” The closest thing to any trash talk yesterday came when someone asked Woods about a quote attributed to Mickelson’s shortgame coach, Dave Pelz, who reportedly said, “When Phil is at his best, I’m thinking nobody can beat him.” Woods grinned at that and chirped, “I think I’m pretty tough to beat when I’m playing well, too.”
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The forecast
Tomorrow
Mixture of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 80s. Winds SE 7 mph. Humidity 60%.
Friday
40 percent chance of rain. Highs in the upper 70s. Winds SSE 6 mph. Humidity 74%.
Saturday
Chance of isolated thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70s. Winds N 9 mph. Humidity 82%.
Sunday
Mix of sun, clouds. Chance of rain 20 percent. Winds NE 9 mph. Humidity 69%. Upper 70s.
The Post’s PGA Picks
TIGER WOODS -He may be playing better than he did in 2000. Scary.
JIM FURYK -Second on the money list with nine Top-10 finishes in 18 starts. Won 2003 U.S. Open not far from here.
LUKE DONALD -Alum of nearby Northwestern.
SERGIO GARCIA – Seven years later, he can finish the job.
ERNIE ELS – The knee is finally healthy. So is his game.
– George Willis
Live on tube
Tomorrow and Friday 2-8 p.m. – TNT
Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. – TNT; 2 p.m.-finish – CBS
Note: The featured grouping of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy will finish before TNT goes on the air with live coverage tomorrow. For details see PGA Notes, page 85.