This was an interesting look into the decades-long rivalry between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and it gave me more insight into the behind the scenes activities I wasn’t always aware of. I always admired both as legends in their sport, and followed Tiger’s career from afar for much of my life, noticing his steadfast approach, and hearing tales of his upbringing and how he came to be a top competitor in the game. What I wasn’t aware of was the rivalry between them, and it was interesting to piece this additional info into a timeline of the recognizable events from this casual fan.


I really appreciated the seemingly unbiased account, and admire the ability of this duo to be competitors without necessarily being friendly. Harig gave a thorough account of both athletes’ careers and enough insight into their personal lives to give some context around what we witnessed as fans of the sport.

With two all-time great figures like the two Harig picks, a book like this can't be boring, even if much of the biographical sketches are familiar to most golf fans. He does his best to find illustrative stories of the tension and ultimate respect between the frenemies, and the chapter on the 2004 Ryder Cup is a particularly strong contribution. (One imagines a sequel 5 or 10 years down the road, on the interactions between Tiger and Phil as the LIV Golf hand grenade blew up in their laps.) At times it feels a little bit like squeezing blood from a stone - again, both men have better solo biographies elsewhere - but any golf fan who relished the mid-00s battles between Woods and Mickelson won't regret picking it up.

This book is geared towards people who aren't as familiar with the golf world as a lifelong fan might be. The book offered interesting stories and context to the careers of both Tiger and Phil, however, many stories felt recycled as they've already been covered in other outlets.

Despite personally not being engaged in the plot, the writing is still strong and Harig did a great job drawing you into the drama of the stories he's presenting. I would recommend this book for new golf fans or people who aren't familiar with the careers of the either Tiger or Phil.

Thank you publishers for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review! This book is out now!

Interesting story and an in depth look at the talent and contrasting game of two elite golfers, I thought the author did a good job of painting a picture of both golfers and their relationship over the years

I have been putting off reading this book for longer than anticipated. With Phil's most recent move to a competing tour, I can honesty say I've been conflicted.

This book was a great stepping stone to help remind me that history is still history. This was written so well. I loved learning new dynamics, statistics, and underlining information.

I will always be a fan of Tiger, so catching up on multiple facts and stats, that were new to me, was extremely exciting. I will continue to root for him, despite his set backs throughout the years.

Tiger & Phil focuses on the relationship between famed golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and the twists and turns of each's career path. The most interesting parts of the book are the anecdotes providing insights into the golfers' personalities and their competitiveness. A lot of what Harig, a reporter at ESPN, does well is related to his own reporting. However, much of the analysis and attempt to connect their two paths quickly becomes repetitive and overwrought, and it seems like Harig writes in a long loop that never seems to end when beginning the book. This initial attempt at analysis then takes away at later attempts of comparison using the same narrative. While said narrative might be better backed up later in the book, it becomes a chore getting through those parts having read about it for dozens of pages previously. A more taut narrative focused on inside reporting and anecdotes about the two golfers would have made for a much more interesting book, though the pieces of inside information are still appreciated for providing insights into each golfer. A shorter book would have accomplished what Harig wanted to say without overtaxing the reader.

I enjoyed this book, it’s the story of two of the most influential golfers in the last 30 years. Their individual careers have been analyzed endlessly, but I didn’t realize how their rivalry impacted them.

I like sports biographies because I learn things about the athletes that weren’t publicized. This book is no exception, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read the ARC of Tiger & Phil. I'm a big golf fan, and was looking forward to reading more details on the careers of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. This book did not disappoint, providing numerous stories and facts about their career. Unfortunately, I did have an issue with the organization of the book. I guess I'm a pretty linear person, and was expecting that the book would be in historical order. It jumped around an awful lot, and many, many, many facts were repeated and repeated and repeated. Not sure if this was for emphasis, or to lengthen the book. Overall, it was worth my time to learn a bit more about each golfer, but took me way longer to read than I expected due to the uneven timeline.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were the two most important golfers of their generation to truly revolutionize the game. I learned so much reading this book about their rivalry every step of the way. Golf is not my usual interest, but this was among the better sports books I've read in some time.

An interesting look at two major figures in the game of golf. Both fan favorites for different reasons…one nice, one a jerk. I liked reading someone inside scoop between the two!

Tiger & Phil follows the careers of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. While there are some aspects of “rivalry”, it also comes across that the two respected each other on the golf course. A great read for fans of golf, especially those who have followed the sport through the height of these two’s careers. Slow at some points, but interested to get to know these two a bit better. Great gift book for golfers.

I found Tiger & Phil to be an absorbing story, written much like a combined biography. The stories and career moments are conveyed in an engaging manner. From on the golf course to off, caddies, family, coaches, and others share their personal and professional tales. This would be a great book for any golf lover as it is very well written and immersive in the world of golf.
.Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the gifted copy to review.

There is nothing like a Sunday afternoon with golf on the tv. I always was so into watching Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. As a golf lover this book fascinated me. There is something about your greatest rival that makes you elevate your game and that is certainly true with these two. They may be rivals on the green but this book showcases how they are so much more than that.
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This would be a perfect gift idea for Father’s Day!
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Huge thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don't play too much golf, but I still really enjoyed learning about the two different golfers in this. They both have a unique was they play and I though it was fascinating learning more about that. I thought the research on both golfers was wonderful in this too. I also enjoyed all the stories in this book too!

This is an enjoyable read for golf enthusiasts and fans. The author gives a behind-the-scenes look at these two champions, capturing their unique competitive styles and making the case that their rivalry pushed each to be a better golfer. The book is filled with entertaining and revealing stories that only a knowledgeable insider could share.

I found this book to be extremely interesting. It was enlightening to understand what was going on in private and in the minds of these two great golfers. The book was very well written and captivating. I would heartily recommend this book.

Book Review: Tiger & Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry by Bob Harig
Published by St. Martin's Press, April 26, 2022

★★★★☆ (4.0 Stars)
Positive!

It was all about Tiger!

In a remarkable endeavor, Sports Illustrated golf writer Bob Harig takes the golf world back to the fever-pitch, frenzied heyday of "Tiger Mania" and "The Tiger Slam" which, without exaggeration, mesmerized the globe.

Fast-forward to Chapter Six, the 1972 Masters, arguably the birthplace of "Tiger Mania".

Paired with 21-year-old Woods in that Saturday's third round at Augusta National, Scottish champion and top pro Colin "Monty" Montgomerie scoffs before the round:

// "Hmmm. There's more to it than hitting the ball a long way, and the pressure's mounting more and more. I've got more experience, a lot more experience, in major championships than he has..." //
(The hmmm is from me, not from the book. That is what, at that moment, I heard.)

After the round, Monty eats crow, as would many in the elite field do for years to come:

"I'm probably the reason he did what he did. I'd just witnessed something very special. I thought I shot a very solid 74, until I lost to him by nine shots. I think he was 60, 70 yards ahead of me all day..."

Twenty-one-year-old Tiger Woods would go on to win the 1997 Masters by an unprecedented 12 shots. It was at this point, many would say, that the global phenomenon called "Tiger Mania" was born.

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Not to mention those impossible putts, i.e. NBC announcer Gary Koch's now-iconic “...BETTER THAN MOST...!!!” call at the 2001 Players Championship at Northern Florida's TPC Sawgrass on Tiger's 60-foot birdie attempt from the back fringe which broke three ways before collapsing into the hole. (A hole where I'd lost a ton of balls!)

And Verne Lundquist's "IN YOUR LIFE have you seen anything like that?!" on Wood's 16th hole pitch shot hole out from the rough in the 2005 Masters.

-----

But I digress.

To this reviewer - golf aficionado and long-time weekend warrior who'd witnessed firsthand that high-pitched crack of a cannon shot never before heard, with the zinger sailing endlessly 50, 60, 70 yards beyond everyone else's best shot, Tiger /Phil was never a rivalry.

No sir, this wasn't /isn't a "Bobby Fischer against the Russians" rivalry and in-your-face all out skirmish for all the marbles and national pride with grit, passion and treachery.

But, rather, a juxtaposition of two remarkable golf careers, each with it's own merits.

We all cheered, and will always cheer for Phil.

We admired, and will always admire Woods (despite his personal travails). Particularly, after seeing him with his son, Charlie, in the 2020 PNC Championship.

At times verbose, and in parts repetitive, I did thoroughly enjoyed this book, surely bound to be a relished keepsake in many golfers' bookshelves!

Review based on an advanced reading copy courtesy of St. Martin's Press and NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading the inside the ropes stories about two of the game's biggest names in the last 25 years. The rivalry between Tiger and Phil is as close of a real rivalry as existed on the tour during Tiger's amazing run of dominance. No one else even came close. Yet there was never enough made of the rivalry to make it well known outside of the true golf enthusiasts.
I started reading this book with hopes that it would engage other readers as well. I'm afraid I don't think it will succeed in that and maybe was never the intention of the author at all. It will engage the golf fan at any level. From those who just watch the majors on Sunday to the die hard fans who know all the stats and even the shoe size of their favorite golfers.
For those who love the game, this will become a favorite read. Maybe just what we need and especially so now that Tiger made the cut at the 2022 Masters. I highly recommend it to golf fans everywhere.

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 gold 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=

Growing up in a golf family, these are household names. I loved the inside take on what I didn't see on the television or read about in the news. I love the respect on and off the green golfers have for each other. This one was a quick read and I enjoyed it.