The saying “what a time to be alive” has become trite thanks to its overuse on social media, but when it comes to the era of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson it just feels so apropos.
From his unprecedented three consecutive U.S. Junior and U.S. Amateur titles to 15 majors, winning a Masters by 12, a U.S. Open by 15, a British by eight, on one leg at Torrey and nearly 11 years later a fifth Masters after even he thought he was done, Tiger has been the greatest thrill ride in sports. Phil is the last amateur to win a PGA Tour title, went winless in his first 46 majors before sinking a birdie putt on 18 to win the Masters and celebrated with one of the defining white-men-can’t-jump efforts. He would win five more, including an unforgettable final-round performance at Muirfield to win the British and his age-defying out-of-nowhere triumph at the 2021 PGA Championship. But his defeats, especially at the U.S. Open, where he finished second six times, were equally if not more jaw-dropping and memorable.
Imagine having been a national golf writer during the era in between Jack Nicklaus and Phil and Tiger and your bar stories revolve around Andy North and Scott Simpson winning U.S. Opens or Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam at the Masters? Great golfers all but nothing like witnessing a Tiger Slam or a 50-year-old seemingly with little left in the tank win a major. Or the dominance of 683 weeks at World No. 1 and making a never-to-be-broken 142 straight cuts on Tour. Bob Harig, who has covered the golf scene for the St. Petersburg Times, ESPN and now Sports Illustrated/Morning Read, was born at the right time and had a front-row seat for so much history. The result is “Tiger & Phil,” a 368-page romp printed by St. Martin’s Press.
