Phil Mickelson Claims He 'Owned Tiger Woods,' Named Putter Tiger Slayer
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are two of the most well-known names in the history of modern professional golf.
Throughout the early 2000s, those two guys were the faces of the PGA Tour. Now, Mickelson is a LIV Golf captain, and Tiger is taking on more of a leadership role as injuries continue to limit his competitive golf.
Grant Horvat, the social phenom and avid golfer, posted a golf match video with Mickelson, squaring off against Bryson DeChambeau and Garrett Clark. During the round, he noticed Mickelson's putter cover and its name.
"You actually have Tiger Slayer written on your putter cover," Horvat said.
Mickelson chuckled and said, "Sometimes the truth hurts."
⛳️🐅🗡️ #WATCH: Phil Mickelson tells the tale of how his putter got its name: 'Tiger Slayer' and claims he and Tiger Woods are essentially tied when playing head to head.
(Via: @GrantHorvatGolf) pic.twitter.com/3nj126H7Pt — NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 9, 2025
The camera cut to DeChambeau and Clark chuckling.
"He has Tiger Slayer on his putter, that's funny — That guy's a madman," DeChambeau said.
Mickelson then asked Horvat if he wanted to know how the flat stick got its name, and of course, the YouTuber was all ears for Lefty's story.
He claimed it was from the 2012 AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. Mickelson earned his 40th career PGA Tour event that week, but the name came from the final round when he battled Tiger for the victory.
"We went out and played. I used that putter. I made everything. I shot 64, he shot 75, and that's where it initially slayed the Tiger," Mickelson explained.
From there, Horvat wanted to know if the putter continued to help the six-time major winner achieve success. Most know what kind of opponent Tiger Woods was during that time frame, and so did Mickelson.
"He owned me the first half of our careers," Lefty explained. "His record against me head-to-head was dominant."
LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 20: (L-R) Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods face-off during a press conference before The Match at Shadow Creek Golf Course on November 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 20: (L-R) Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods face-off during a press conference before The Match at Shadow Creek Golf Course on November 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Photo byfor The Match
Then he made a bold claim about his and Tiger's head-to-head record.
"The second part, I owned him," Mickelson continued. "After 2007 I started working with Butch [Harmon] and I started doing really well head to head. Our head-to-head record when we were paired together —I believe it's dead even."
Lefty's claim is not as accurate as he would like you to believe. But he made sure to give props where they were due.
"It is now even when we play together," he noted. "His record is his record. He's the greatest of all time. I've seen him do things with a golf ball that I've never seen anybody be able to do. His play in 2000 was indescribable, how good it was."
Was Phil Mickelson spot on vs. Tiger Woods?
Many would think that these two stars often played together, but that is not the case. The two legends only played in the same group 38 times during their illustrious careers.
Tiger recorded the better round 19 times, to Mickelson's 15. Four times they shot the same number.
Woods won seven of those events to Lefty's three.
However, one must remember that Mickelson said from 2007 onward that he "owned" Tiger Woods when they played together.
From 2007 to 2020, Mickelson went 10-9-1 in head-to-head rounds. It is hard to call that any sort of domination. Nevertheless, most fans solely remember Woods leaving Phil in his tracks over and over.
It is hard to believe that, as dominant as Tiger was throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s. But Mickelson was not too far off about the overall numbers.
Today's stars play against each other all the time, so it is also wild to see that two of the best players on the PGA Tour have only gone head-to-head 38 times.
These stats are just a hint at the battle between Tiger and Phil, though. Numerous other statistical categories demonstrate the Big Cat's dominance since 1997.
Mickelson can call his putter the Tiger Slayer all he wants, but Woods still controlled golf throughout this period.
More Golf: Keegan Bradley Praised for 'Wise Choice' Sure to Boost Team USA at Ryder Cup
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