Golf

FOX Sports Exclusive

Tiger, Phil take rivalry to ping pong table

Share This Story

Robert Lusetich

After more than 20 years of covering everything from election campaigns to Olympic Games, Robert Lusetich turned his focus to writing about his first love — golf. He is author of Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season. MORE>>
Updated Oct 7, 2009 6:07 PM ET
     
 

SAN FRANCISCO

Given the Internationals' oh-fer futility on American soil, the most competitive sporting event to be played this week at Harding Park might just come within the confines of the U.S. team chalet.

Update: Match 2009

Editor's Note: Tiger and Phil went at it after the Presidents Cup gala dinner Tuesday night and Mickelson emerged as the winner.

"I don't know what you mean by finally," Mickelson said. "But again, it happened, yes."

U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover confirmed that after beating Woods and Zach Johnson, "Phil's got the Wednesday title but we'll see what happens on Sunday".

Anthony Kim, who will partner Mickelson at Harding Park as he did last year at the Ryder Cup, said Mickelson was "very beatable."

"I like to talk a bit of smack," says Kim. "Phil likes to talk about how good he is but let's talk about how I went 3-0 against him. I mean, it wasn't even a match."

Mickelson shook his head when told of Kim's boast.

"That's a lie because we haven't even played yet."
Pong: Tiger vs Phil. Not surprisingly to anyone who knows these two alpha dogs, golf's most heated rivalry doesn't end on the course. For five years, they've been intense pingpong combatants. "Man, they go at it," says Kenny Perry, whom Woods on Tuesday nominated as the Americans' best pingpong player. (Perry, for the record, says he's out of practice and was "thumped" by U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover Monday night.) "There's a lot of paddle throwing, tantrums, balls pounded into each other," Perry says, "I love all the barbs between them. Their language, whoa, it's unbelievable." He declined to provide a transcript other than, "Just say it's X-rated". The series dates back to 2004, when Woods invited Mickelson to play in the Ryder Cup team room. To say the two have never been friends is a gross understatement, but it had historically been Woods more than Mickelson who'd resisted any easing of tensions. So when he offered to play Mickelson, it was widely interpreted as an act of détente. But was it? One Mickelson ally says pithily, "Maybe it was, but maybe it was just another thing he wanted to kick Phil's ass at." Whatever his motivation, I'm told that Woods prevailed. The tradition continued the following year, at the Presidents Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. The result didn't change. "They went out and played the first game, Tiger won; they played the second game, Tiger won," U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus recalled. "And Phil said, 'I've got this buffet behind me and I can't swing. Tiger, switch sides with me.' He said, 'Sure.' So they switch sides and Phil wins. "Phil says, 'Let's play another one,' and Tiger says, 'Uh-uh, two to one.' And they never played again. But they were giggling about it and had fun." Woods was predictably irked when Mickelson made a throwaway comment to the Golf Channel — Woods is a religious viewer — about his supremacy on the pingpong table and made Lefty pay two years ago at Royal Montreal. Mickelson won their first match and an irate Woods put his hat on back-to-front and removed his shirt for the second. He meant business. It was close — observers say the best they've ever played — but Woods prevailed before running away with the deciding rubber match, 21-9. That same year, Woods received a miniature pingpong table when his wife, Elin, gave birth to their first daughter, Sam Alexis. The gift came with a note. "Our kids have had a little head start on Sam Alexis and expect them to continue the Mickelson domination over the Woods in pong. But we thought we should give Sam Alexis a chance to jump-start her own game."
"There's a lot of paddle throwing, tantrums, balls pounded into each other. I love all the barbs between them. Their language, whoa, it's unbelievable."
— Kenny Perry, on the ping matches between Woods and Mickelson
Mickelson, whose playing style is said to be crafty, based on heavy spin, as opposed to Woods, who favors a slam-bam aggressive approach, has been honing his game with this week in mind. Woods, recovering from knee reconstruction surgery at this time last year, did not play in the Ryder Cup, so this week will represent their first match since Montreal. While Woods deftly sidestepped a question about Mickelson's table tennis skills Tuesday, Jim Furyk wasn't about to give him a free pass. "Why don't you just call Phil out?" he goaded Woods, who didn't take the bait. Furyk, who enjoys needling Mickelson, went on to note mockingly that Lefty had "brought his own paddle this year, his own kit, little bag." Furyk is in the camp which thinks that Woods and Mickelson's relationship has improved through their little pingpong diplomacy. "They're having fun and people don't think they do," he said. "I'm not trying to say that they're the best of friends, but when you watch them play, listen to them talking a little smack, they're having fun." Having fun has certainly become the motif of the Presidents Cup, especially for the 12 players in the red, white and blue. The United States has only lost once in seven events, in 1998 when a reluctant bunch of players went through the motions at Royal Melbourne in the heat of the Australian summer and got humiliated. The only other joy for the Internationals came six years ago, in South Africa, at the most memorable Presidents Cup, when the teams historically tied after Woods and Ernie Els dueled one another to a standstill in the darkness. It's hard to see much changing at Harding Park given that the U.S. is coming off an emotional victory in last year's Ryder Cup and the Internationals still have no clue as to why they're so clueless in the foursomes, alternate shot format. Their loss two years ago in Canada — 19½ to 14½ — was the direct result of their futility in the foursomes, where they won just half a point out of 10. "When I look back over the history of the Presidents Cup and where we as a team have got beaten is in the first day, in the foursomes, or on Saturday morning in the foursomes," says International captain Greg Norman. "America has been very, very dominating in that department, so when we get behind the eight ball, it's very hard."
If their haplessness on U.S. soil isn't disheartening enough, the Internationals have also had to spend much of their time this week denying that the disintegration of Norman's high-profile, 15-month marriage to former tennis star Chris Evert has been a distraction. What's clear, however, is that for this competition to grow some roots, the Internationals need to start winning because the Presidents Cup needs a bit of spice, if not spite. It's far too chummy, as U.S. captain Freddie Couples inadvertently alluded to Tuesday. "It's easy, it's a fun event," said Couples in comparing it to the Ryder Cup. "Not so grueling. You know, five days of saying some word to someone and it gets blown out of proportion and they hate you. And then you go to Europe and they hate you. That's not going to happen." Furyk said the Presidents Cup didn't have the "animosity" and "friction" of the matches against the Europeans, which he said was both "good and bad." "It can still get a little bit chippy, but for the most part, the guys that play on the International team, a good percentage of them live in the United States," he says, "I see Vijay (Singh) on a weekly basis at home. I realize he's on the other team, but he lives in my backyard." Steve Stricker said that "everything means a little bit more" in Ryder Cups. And that's because the U.S. has lost more than its share of Ryder Cups since the 1980s. True rivalry doesn't happen until the loser starts winning. As Phil Mickelson, whether holding a golf club or a pingpong paddle, can attest.
Tagged: Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk

More Stories From Robert Lusetich

World Golf Tour


Trending Now

Stories | Photos | Lists | Videos

GOLF Videos

Lusetich: AT&T Rd. 1 recap Posted: Feb 10, 2012
Robert Lusetich recaps Rd. 1 of the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.

Tiger Woods 13: Legacy mode Posted: Feb 09, 2012
Tiger Woods talks about the new 'legacy mode' in Tiger Woods 13.

Keeping up with Kuchar Posted: Jan 18, 2012
FOXSports.com talks with PGA Tour golfer Matt Kuchar.

MORE FOXSPORTS VIDEO »

Fox Sports Store

    itemName itemURL imageSrc price itemDescription
    Mitchell & Ness Los Angeles Lakers #8 Kobe Bryant Gold Authentic Throwback Basketball Jersey http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Los_Angeles_Lakers/browse/featuredproduct/124407/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_124000/FF_124407_xl.jpg&w=100 259.95 Mitchell & Ness Los Angeles Lakers #8 Kobe Bryant Gold Authentic Throwback Baske..
    adidas Milwaukee Bucks #22 Michael Redd White Home Swingman Jersey http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Milwaukee_Bucks/browse/featuredproduct/141061/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_141000/FF_141061_xl.jpg&w=100 29.99 adidas Milwaukee Bucks #22 Michael Redd White Home Swingman Jersey
    adidas San Antonio Spurs Black Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_San_Antonio_Spurs/browse/featuredproduct/172441/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_172000/FF_172441_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas San Antonio Spurs Black Primary Logo T-shirt
    adidas Los Angeles Lakers Purple Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Los_Angeles_Lakers/browse/featuredproduct/172442/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_172000/FF_172442_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas Los Angeles Lakers Purple Primary Logo T-shirt
    adidas Miami Heat Black Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Miami_Heat/browse/featuredproduct/173566/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_173000/FF_173566_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas Miami Heat Black Primary Logo T-shirt
    adidas Boston Celtics Green Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Boston_Celtics/browse/featuredproduct/173567/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_173000/FF_173567_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas Boston Celtics Green Primary Logo T-shirt
    adidas Atlanta Hawks #15 Al Horford Navy Blue Road Swingman Basketball Jersey http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Atlanta_Hawks/browse/featuredproduct/178055/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_178000/FF_178055_xl.jpg&w=100 49.99 adidas Atlanta Hawks #15 Al Horford Navy Blue Road Swingman Basketball Jersey
    adidas Boston Celtics Green Primary Logo Long Sleeve T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Boston_Celtics/browse/featuredproduct/179331/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_179000/DS_179331_xl.jpg&w=100 19.95 adidas Boston Celtics Green Primary Logo Long Sleeve T-shirt
    adidas Boston Celtics #5 Kevin Garnett Green Road Swingman Basketball Jersey http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Boston_Celtics/browse/featuredproduct/182418/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_182000/FF_182418_xl.jpg&w=100 59.99 adidas Boston Celtics #5 Kevin Garnett Green Road Swingman Basketball Jersey
    adidas Denver Nuggets Light Blue Primary Logo T-shirt http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Denver_Nuggets/browse/featuredproduct/188059/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_188000/DS_188059_xl.jpg&w=100 17.95 adidas Denver Nuggets Light Blue Primary Logo T-shirt