"Tiger & Phil is the wonderful story of two men who will long be remembered for their contributions to professional golf" —Book Reporter
“The only thing I enjoyed more than broadcasting the Tiger-Phil rivalry for over twenty years was reading all the juicy tidbits from behind the scenes by the amazing Bob Harig. Every golf enthusiast will want to dive into this.” —Jim Nantz, CBS-TV
"Bob Harig was born to write this brilliant and definitive historical document on the Tiger-Phil rivalry. After walking step for step with these two titans for decades, Harig delivers fascinating, previously-untold stories about the battles that defined them. This is the ultimate insider's look at the real Tiger-Phil relationship, and at the high-stakes pursuit of golf immortality." —Ian O'Connor, three-time New York Times bestselling author of Arnie & Jack
“In many ways golf has never had a rivalry to match Tiger and Phil’s. Tiger was a perfectionist and an icy star much like Ted Williams, and he always had that hard cold stare of high purpose. Phil was golf’s version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, creating awe from error, and he always had that paw-in-the-cookie-jar smile. They weren’t so much oil and water as they were thesis and antithesis. Bob Harig writes a book we all want to read as much as we all wanted to watch them play.’’ —Brandel Chamblee, Golf Channel analyst, former PGA Tour player and author of Anatomy of Greatness: Lessons From the Best Golf Swings in History
"Tiger vs. Phil is the most delicious rivalry in sports, and Harig has been there for all of it. There's so much good stuff in here, somebody should make a movie." —Rick Reilly, former Sports Illustrated and ESPN writer and author of So Help Me Golf and Who’s Your Caddy?
"There is no one more qualified to write a book on Tiger and Phil than Bob Harig. He's probably walked more holes with them than anyone—with the POSSIBLE exception of their caddies—and been around for every important moment in their careers—both with one another and separately." —John Feinstein, author of A Good Walk Spoiled, The Majors, and Raise a Fist, Take a Knee
"Enlivened with interesting quotes from players and caddies, much golf lore, and up-close descriptions of tournaments and the players’ games in action. Insider portraits tailor-made for golf enthusiasts. " — Kirkus
2022-01-11
Recounting a 25-year duel on the links.
“While there was respect, at times there was also pettiness and standoffishness,” writes ESPN.com senior golf writer Harig, describing the rivalry between these two great golfers in this insightful tale of the tape. He sets the stage with the 2004 Ryder Cup, when Hal Sutton, U.S. captain, surprisingly paired Woods and Mickelson together in two matches. They had never played together before. Their uneasy relationship was being put to the test, and they failed miserably, losing both. Harig chronicles in detail each player’s early rise to stardom. He notes that they were both brash and good at golf ever since they were young, with Mickelson, five years older, having an edge over Woods in terms of experience. The author reveals them as two very different kinds of players. Woods was a taciturn, tactical technician, Mickelson the imaginative, gambling prankster. Woods always took his game superseriously, Mickelson less so. Both accomplished impressive feats early in their careers, but Woods won his first appearance at the Masters as Mickelson missed the cut. “By that weekend in 1997, Phil knew what he was up against,” writes Harig. “As great as he was, Tiger was proving to be every bit the star and more.” In golf, head-to-head matchups are infrequent, so the author mostly covers this rivalry from afar. There was the much-hyped, made-for-TV “The Match” in 2018, which Mickelson won. Harig admits there was friction in their rivalry, but it has been “a glorious ride through more than two decades of highs and lows.” In the end, despite Mickelson’s outstanding career, the author declares Woods the winner of this rivalry, an opinion that will surprise few observers of the game. Though a touch overlong and sometimes dry, the narrative is enlivened with interesting quotes from players and caddies, much golf lore, and up-close descriptions of tournaments and the players’ games in action.
Insider portraits tailor-made for golf enthusiasts.