Review of "Tiger & Phil"

With the biggest story the past week in sports being Tiger Woods playing in the Masters only 14 months after a horrific car accident, I was scouring my TBR pile to see if I had any new books on him - lo and behold, this one was near the top.  It was a very good book not only on him, but also Phil Mickelson who has made his own headlines recently.  Here is my review of "Tiger & Phil."

Title/Author: “Tiger & Phil: Golf’s Most Fascinating Rivalry” by Bob Harig

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  For about the last 25 years, the two most recognizable professional golfers have been Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Between them they have won 21 major titles and 139 professional tournaments.  Their careers, their lives and how they have intersected are documented in this book by golf writer Bob Harig.

The information obtained on both golfers is very good and shows the work that Harig put into this book, especially when one considers how protective Tiger was about various aspects of both his professional and private life.  That seems to be a contradiction when one considers how much was revealed during his time away from golf, whether for health reasons or due to scandal, but it is still remarkable at how much Harig was able to write about Woods, as well as Mickelson.  Some of this gets repetitive as the book continues but nonetheless is still quite interesting.

The description of both players’ wins in certain major tournaments, especially for those in the Masters (Woods in 2019 and Mickelson in 2010 with his famous tree shot at 13 are notably excellent) are the best aspects of this book for golf fans.  Woods’ memorable 2008 U.S. Open win that took an additional 19 holes to finally defeat Rocco Mediate was also a great section. Readers who enjoy watching these two perform, even if they prefer one over the other, will gobble up these pages as they picture those famous moments in their minds while reading.  There are also nice passages to other not-so-great moments such as the ill-fated pairing of the two golfers for the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

That disaster for the Americans is the point where readers will most likely believe that the rivalry between them was at its peak and if one considers this a true rivalry, then that would be true.  While Harig does write about the coolness that they had on the course through the years when they played together, the respect each of them had for the other is also portrayed just as strongly.  This is especially true for Mickelson’s many quotes about his reverence for the strong play of Tiger.  While reading the book, it may feel like the “rivalry” that is touted in the book’s subtitle is more of a creation of either fans or the media rather than a true rivalry.  Items like the current spats between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka feel more like a rivalry than Woods and Mickelson do, despite the very good information in this book.

While one may question whether Tiger and Phil really had a true rivalry, this book is one that any golf fan, no matter who their loyalty may be with, will want to read to learn more about the fabulous careers of two of the very best to ever play the game and who have kept fans entertained for more than two decades.

I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Link:   https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Phil-Golfs-Fascinating-Rivalry/dp/125027446X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=