LA JOLLA, Calif. (June 12, 2008) - It’s no secret on the PGA Tour that Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods hate each other like the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons loathed the other’s very being in the late 1980s. You know back when Rasheed Wallace and everyone else in the NBA didn’t conduct regular hug-a-thons (probably figuring that the league’s allegedly fixed anyways, so why sweat your opponent).

Still, Phil and Tiger mostly try to pretend everything’s fine with their relationship in press conferences.

But anybody who watched Mickelson and Woods from upclose today in the much-anticipated U.S. Open showdown at Torrey Pines could never buy that for even half a second ever again. Through 10 holes of following Tiger-Phil from inside the ropes, the two have not exchanged one word of pleastantries. And barely six total words at all.

On the ninth hole, Tiger and Adam Scott (the forgotten third) walked up the fairway side-by-side, chatting it up and laughing. Phil walked about three steps behind with his head down, looking like the kid in school who’s trying to keep up with the cool kids who don’t like him and can’t wait to ditch him.

For what happened on the first green that had Tiger and Phil shooting smoldering glances at each other and really their only pointed conversation and other details from a day inside the ropes with the showdown pair, read the column on the front of WorldGolf.com early tomorrow morning.

For more live coverage today, stay tuned to this blog.

Permalink Leave a comment