Relatively straightforward dual-biography of the careers of Tiger and Phil, which, although comprehensive was somewhat boring. The book got better when it considered what these two meant in the context of golf history and popular culture. It's also a pity it was released too soon to cover the LIV controversy which Tiger and Phil seem to be on opposite sides of.

For the last 25 years Tiger and Phil have probably had the biggest golf rivalry. Some people say they are some of the best in history, and to have them both be this great at the same time is crazy. I loved hearing how much their lives and careers intersected and how their relationship with one another changed over time.

Throughout golf's history, there have been a number of famous rivalries where two golfers have gone "head to head" quite consistently with resulting drama. Whether it was Nicklaus/Palmer, Watson/Player or Faldo/Norman, you could count on being entertained by their matches. Bob Harig attempts to shoehorn Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson into the pantheon of these rivalries but comes up short. Just as there wasn't much drama in those instances when Phil and Tiger did go head to head, so too, the drama is lacking in Harig's latest golf story---Tiger & Phil. Drama is not easily created by the recitation of statistic after statistic. Harig certainly has his statistics--a whole bunch of them--easily at his fingertips but there is little of the "human" element and behind the scenes flavor about these two outstanding golfers. Harig had a veritable rich field awaiting his plowing but alas, he came up quite short. If he had not relied so much on reciting countless numbers, scores, and other statistics and focused more on the personalities, he might have created a more engaging and readable book. I don't recall learning anything that I didn't already know about Tiger or Phil from this book.

Why did I listen to Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry?
My boyfriend is a golfer. Honestly that is probably an understatement but I don't have time to get into all that. Over the past almost two years of us being together, I have slowly started to understand bits and pieces of the game. I don't necessarily like to admit this but I guess it comes with the territory. Apparently so does owning your own set of gf clubs. Anyway, when I saw Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry on Netgalley, I decided to give it a shot and learn more about golf's legendary players.

What's the story?
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are two golfers who have managed to achieve legendary status in the world of golf. While doing so, they have become strong rivals and stronger competitors as their careers have been intertwined. These moments of interconnection have created some of the most memorable moments in golf. And over the course of more than two decades, they have no been competitors but also friends who experienced the ups and downs of life. Tiger and Phil examines all of this and the men behind the rivalry.

How did I like Tiger and Phil?
Tiger and Phil provides a full analysis of Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, their careers, and their ever evolving rivalry. Both athletes have been able to accomplish greatness and this greatness pushed each other to do better. They had different ways that they approached playing golf and the style of their game. These different are discussed in depth which gave me a new perspective of both Tiger and Phil. I also learned more about the history of various competitions including the Masters, Ryder Cup, and the Players Championship.

At times I found Tiger and Phil to become a little repetitive. It seemed to be really trying to get certain points across going back to them more than once. It was obvious that the author Bob Harig had done his research and is very passionate about the subject at hand. He wanted to show a new angle to the legacies of Tiger and Phil.

How was the narration?
Tiger and Phil is narrated by Adam Barr and is 14 hours and 49 minutes in length. I listened to it at 1.5x speed. This was not an audiobook that I was able to binge. There was alot of information and a bit of time to process. I would recommend this audiobook to any golf aficionado or anyone who would like to learn more Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

As the daughter of a huge golf fan I know a fair amount about golf and Tiger and Phil. I recommend having some golf knowledge before reading this or else some of the areas of the book may be confusing.

This book is very well researched and was informative for someone who had some knowledge but didn’t know their extensive history. I appreciated that Harig gave the background of both golfers growing up. Joe LaCava is a family friend so it was very cool hearing about him in this book. The book started a little slow but found it picked up as the book continued.

I do wish we could have directly heard from Tiger and Phil directly in this book but even without any direct quotes, this book still offered thorough history. I did enjoy the interview with the author at the end and hearing about his writing process.

Adam Barr did a great job narrating the book!

This book would be a great gift for a golf fan. This was a strong 3.5 for me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Bob Harig and NetGalley for this audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am not a golfer, my husband is though. I have spent a good amount of time watching golf tournaments with him(even one while in labor!). So, I have followed Tiger and Phil through a good bit of their careers. I recommend you have some knowledge of golf before you pick this book up. If not, you may be lost in a lot of places.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is very well researched and very informative. This covers almost all of these two golfers’ careers and many of their interactions and various situations.

Now, I am team Phil. I always have been. So, take this with a grain of salt. I felt like there was a bit of favoritism toward Tiger in this. I thought it most of the way through the book. But, I thought…let me wait to form an opinion when the author gets to Tiger’s scandal about his marriage. Very little was said about the incident but Harig devoted paragraph after paragraph to Phil’s scandal about insider trading. Now, give the devil his due, there may have been a lot more information available about Phil’s incident. But, it did solidify my opinion in the matter.

Adam Barr narrated this book and did a superb job. He is steady and very smooth!

Need a good sports biography about two fantastic, talented golfers…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This was such a comprehensive dive into history of the game of golf in the last 30 years. When you live through a rivalry like Tiger and Phil, it’s easy to forget the details and fixate on the big things. Harig did a fantastic job of weaving a narrative throughout each chapter. Perfect gift for the golfers in your life!

As a huge golf fan, I really enjoyed this audiobook. I thought Bob Harig did a great job at being impartial and unbiased; truly only telling the story in the way it needed to be told.

I have always been fascinated by Tiger Woods — arguably the biggest, most well-known name in the golf world — and I really enjoyed getting to learn more about him through this book. The parts of the story that felt sacred based on being largely unknown for so long were the parts that were most interesting to me. Phil Mickelson is obviously a huge name in golf too, but since he is a bit more open about his upbringing and his personal life, he isn't as much of an enigma. That said, it was still interesting to learn more about him.

It was fun to feel like we were in their heads a little bit with the quotes from caddies, golf professionals, and everyone else who was able to shed insight into both their individual lives and their rivalry.

I did not love how the book started out strongly with statistics and dived right in, if you will. I am both a golf player and a golf fan and I still found myself confused at parts. That said, if you aren't a golf player or fan, or a Tiger and/or Phil fan, then I don't know if this book would be for you. Nevertheless, it was a super interesting read and I was happy to be able to read it.

Thank you to Macmillan, Bob Harig, and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Tiger and Phil is a fun and solid read, but one that unfortunately misses the mark in what is attempts to accomplish. This is 1/3 a biography of Phil, 1/3 a biography of Tiger, with the rest of the time attempting to focus on the relationship and competition between the two golfers. While each of the sections is well researched and an interesting read, there is not enough on the two men to make it stand out from more detailed biographies that already exist for each of the golfers. The book also retells a few stories as the chronologies at times overlap.

Tiger and Phil by Bob Harig is about two golf legends. As a person who has vaguely followed them over the years, I found it fascinating. Tiger Woods has done so much good publicity for the golf industry with all of his wins. Phil Mickelson has come across as such a likable guy. The rivalry to me is more contrived than actual. I enjoyed how the author followed their career paths of wins and upsets, and didn't get overly much into their scandals. I didn't want their images tarnished in my minds eye. The details put into this book were well researched and gave great insight. I loved how the two professionals have found common ground in their competitiveness. The book unfortunately ends before much of the 2022 season begins. I loved how the author was able to describe so many details of the shots and tournaments over the years that I could envision those. Adam Barr was great performing the book. His voice had expression and great inflection in it. I could tell exactly when he was quoting someone. I want to thank #NetGalley and #Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this pre-release audiobook. I really enjoyed it and learned about those gentlemen.

When I talk to my daddy about his golf game, he gets pretty technical and this book felt a little like that. I've played golf and enjoy watching on TV and in person. I enjoyed learning more about the relationship between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. I learned more about the Ryder Cup, rules of tournament play, and other details of the game. After a slow start, we learned a little more about what made Tiger and Phil tick. That was a little more interesting to me. Overall, I think this was a good book but felt a lot like a summary of interviews done by other people. The narrator made me think of a news reporter. This is just a very technical and detailed description of Tiger and Phil.