Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are discussing the possibility of a match where the winner would earn $10 million, according to a new report.
On Friday, Golf.com reported that the two golf veterans are planning this match, long after an exhibition contest that included Woods and Mickelson had been rumored.
According to ESPN, the pair had discussed this during the Players Championship in May, with Mickelson allegedly saying they should forgo “the ancillary stuff of a tournament and just go head-to-head and just have kind of a high-stakes, winner-take-all match.”
Woods was reportedly not opposed to this idea.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.
“I’m definitely not against that,” he said at the time. “We’ll play for whatever makes him uncomfortable.”
SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams!
Mickelson is competing at the Greenbrier Classic this week in West Virginia, and told Golf.com that he and Woods had initially envisioned to play the big match in Las Vegas, although they were unable to figure out many of the logistical details on time.
Mickelson, 48, and 42-year-old Woods have been close for years. At the Players Championship, Woods said he loved talking to Mickelson and that he offered him great support through injuries and other career setbacks.
“Phil and I have a great banter,” Woods revealed in May. “We give each other the needle, we always have. But I think our relationship has certainly gotten a lot closer with me being a vice captain the last couple teams and sitting there and having very lengthy conversations with him about things, not just the pairings but just things in general.”
He continued: “When I was trying to deal with the nerve [pain] in my back and trying to come back and play and I wasn’t very good, he always texted me some very encouraging words. And then on top of that, when you guys all saw how I was chipping so poorly, my nerve and my back was not going very good, and I was flinching a lot, and he offered numerous times to help me out with technique and just talk about philosophy.”
SLIDESHOW: Sports Figures Who Died In 2018
Mickelson also reportedly told Golf.com that he hopes the planned $10 million contest will help pave the way for exhibition matches between him and Woods, whose next start in a major tournament is set to be The Open in Carnoustie, Scotland on July 19.
Fans on Twitter quickly began sharing their excitement over the news of the potential match, with some even using memes and GIFs to make jokes about how big the event would be:
With their big three finally back in action Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers suffered another setback…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tny--EWynOQ Nike paid tribute to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal with a 10-meter-tall animated display…
https://youtu.be/dtJoJz9hC48 Tennis legend Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to his devoted Spanish fans as he brought…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DQ9Rxhnuer4 U.S. Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz shed light on the critical skills necessary in fencing…
Two offensive linemen for the Chicago Bears returned to practice, a massive step in the…
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s2g9t_33Myw President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Jon…