Twenty years ago, I had a front-row seat to golf’s two biggest alpha males playing in the major-championship cauldron.
During my professional life I’ve been fortunate enough to have played with just about every marquee player of my generation, but one pairing stands out. As US Open champion, I teed up alongside Masters winner (and reigning champion) Phil Mickelson and Open champion Tiger Woods in the first two rounds of the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club. At the time they were the best two players in golf. Together, they cast a big shadow over the game.
Which is not to say I was merely making up the numbers. My record playing with really big names had always been pretty good. I never had trouble being fully focused on those occasions. And only two months previously, I had won the US Open at Winged Foot. So I felt like I had earned my spot, if you like, even if I knew that not many of those watching would have their eyes on me. To them, I was merely filling the gaps between Tiger hitting and Phil hitting.
At the time I was told that Tiger and Phil had never played together in the opening rounds of any major. So this was a big deal, a monster group. I knew that. At least I thought I did. Only when I got on the first tee did I fully realise the level of interest. Actually, it was the 10th tee (now the seventh), which at Medinah is in a pretty remote part of the property. But no matter. At 8:30am there were thousands of people waiting for us.
What was even more striking was the number of people inside the ropes. It seemed like every member of the media had shown up. On the 10th tee, early in the morning. That just doesn’t happen. But clearly even the most cynical and/or jaded members of the press saw it as a huge moment in time, one they just couldn’t miss.
Needless to say, I was pretty nervous starting off and was over par before I was under. But I turned things round and shot 69, three-under the card, which matched the scores shot by my two playing partners. I remember getting the shuttle back to the clubhouse and thinking this had to be one of the biggest tournaments in history. The crowds were 10-deep on both sides of every hole, never mind the 100 or so journalists in attendance.
Sitting at lunch, I had to laugh when I heard someone say, “This is the weirdest event ever. There’s no one here.” Because everyone was watching my group. To me, it was maybe the most important event I had ever played; to others the lack of atmosphere made it feel like the exact opposite. Perspective is everything, of course.
During the rounds I talked with Tiger and Steve Williams, his caddie. I also talked to Phil and his caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay. But none of the above talked to each other. The rivalry extended to the caddies, at least inside the ropes. They were all the alpha males, trying to be the No.1 guys. No surprise there. Where they were at in their careers meant things were never going to be jovial. Civil and polite – which is what they all were – was always going to be the best anyone could hope for. Amid all that, I really was “Switzerland”.
Tiger and Phil are very different people, of course. Both are highly competitive, but they are far from alike even in that respect. They were both great to play with, too. But also very different.
Phil was always in a good mood. He never got grumpy. He could make a triple-bogey then ask you where you were going for dinner on the next tee. He clearly had an unbelievably short memory, which is really impressive.
In contrast, Tiger was always very determined, a bit like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant were in basketball, I imagine. He was easy to talk to on Thursday and Friday. There would be the odd joke and a bit of small talk if we waited on a tee. Then Saturday he was more serious. And on Sunday he didn’t talk at all. That was payday. Which was intimidating to those around him. It was “get out of my way” for Tiger. He was so determined, where it felt a bit like Phil was trying to show off.
As it turned out, we all played pretty well over the two days. We were all in contention. Tiger and I both shot 69-68 and were equal fifth. Phil was three shots behind us after a 71 on day two. I was still in the mix after another 68 on day three, when Tiger shot 65. But I faded over the closing 18 holes and a 74 saw me tie for ninth, three strokes and seven spots ahead of Phil. Tiger, of course, went on to claim the title by five shots.
Looking back, I’m happy that I came out of the first 36 holes unscathed. I handled a unique situation well. It was close to the ultimate test of my abilities. Could I perform alongside the two best players in the game and in front of what felt like the eyes of the world? The answer was I could. Which is one more reason why those opening rounds represent two of the most memorable days of my career.
