Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are considered two of the greatest golfers ever. The two Californian golfers were often involved in close matches on the PGA Tour during their career.

While Woods has remained loyal to the American golf tour, Mickelson has moved to the newly found LIV Golf league. That has halted their on-course rivalry.

Recently, NUCLR GOLF, one of the top golf update pages on social media, shared a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). It had a screenshot that showed Phil Mickelson’s recently liked post on X, which was seemingly trolling the legendary Tiger Woods.

Several fans reacted to that, with one claiming that Mickelson is “jealous” of Woods.

While Woods has remained loyal to the American golf tour, Mickelson has moved to the newly found LIV Golf league. That has halted their on-course rivalry.

Recently, NUCLR GOLF, one of the top golf update pages on social media, shared a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). It had a screenshot that showed Phil Mickelson’s recently liked post on X, which was seemingly trolling the legendary Tiger Woods.

Several fans reacted to that, with one claiming that Mickelson is “jealous” of Woods.

There was a user who said that the reference to Lance Armstrong was related to drugs and added that the post that Mickelson liked was suggesting Tiger Woods had taken drugs.

Multiple comments from fans expressed disappointment with Phil Mickelson. Here are some top comments

Tiger Woods’ partnership with Nike is reportedly in troubled waters. The 82-time PGA Tour winner has not worn the familiar Swoosh for over a year. While both parties said earlier that they are working closely for a new shoe that would meet Woods’ requirement, more than one year has passed, and we’re yet to see the veteran golfer in his new kicks. Moreover, there are reports that the PNC Championship, where Woods will play with his son Charlie Woods, will also be the last time he will wear a Nike shoe.

In the last year, Charlie Woods has garnered a lot of attention for two reasons. First, obviously, his pop is a rather well-known guy. Secondly, Woods Jr. has shown some glimpses of the block he was chipped from. His stellar run of form has already made him a hotshot in the golf world. At this moment, there is no dearth of brands that want to capitalize on the immense popularity the 14-year-old has enjoyed since he first appeared with his father at the 2020 PNC Championship. So, despite going through some turbulent times with his pop, will Nike partner with the young ‘cub’ like they did when Tiger Woods was just a 20-year-old golfer?

The one rule that opens the sponsorship door for Charlie Woods

Charlie Woods is still a school-going kid who has to worry about his midterms at The Benjamin School in Florida. So, as per NCAA rules, he can’t earn sponsorship money while playing high school golf, as Florida law prohibits that. But the teenager can easily sidestep that by signing up for any of the junior golf leagues.

If he does, the NCAA’s name-image-likeness rule will allow him to partner with any brand to promote their product or service in various ways. A lot of NCAA athletes have leveraged this opportunity to land million-dollar deals. As per ON3, a NIL tracker, 18-year-old Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, the latest in the line of Manning family prodigies, has a valuation of $2.8 million in NIL deals. Closer home, John Daly II, son of two-time Major winner John Daly, signed a NIL deal with Hooters, a restaurant brand.

So, the ball is in the father’s court as to whether he would allow his son to play on the junior golf circuit and cash in on the opportunity or would want to protect him from the limelight as much as he can. But if Woods chooses to let his son remain out in the open, Charlie Woods has a high probability of landing a Nike deal.

That’s despite the 14-year-old going to high school. What’s in it for Nike? Sam Weber of Opendorse, an NIL platform, told Sportico that it “would be surprising if the brands that have been prominent in Tiger’s career would not want to join the fold. You can almost see the Nike commercial with the two of them.” There are precedents for Nike tapping into raw talents.

Recently, the $175 million apparel giant signed a NIL deal with Bronny James, the older son of LeBron James. In fact, Nike signed Tiger Woods for a reported $40 million deal in 1996, when Woods was still a debutant golfer. The hugely successful deal was extended four times, the last of which came in 2013, for a reported $200 million. However, there is a catch in the case of Charlie Woods.

Nike’s troublesome history in the golf business

Recent reports suggest that the megabrand is looking to make some major changes in its golf apparel operations. Although there has not been any confirmed report of Nike bringing the shutter down on their golf business altogether, the apparel giant is looking to outsource their business through Srixon or Cleveland.

Let’s not forget that Nike used to make golf equipment as well. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy both used Nike’s clubs. However, after twenty years, the business became a lost cause, and the brand decided to jettison Nike Golf.

Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike, made a rather blunt admission, shocking everyone. The 85-year-old CEO said, “We lost money for 20 years on equipments (sic) and balls and realized that next year is not going to be any different.” There were multiple reasons behind this. Nike failed to hit the mark with their equipment. Moreover, Woods was never fascinated with the new gear Nike was making, sticking to his traditional guns instead. So, the new-age clubs that the company didn’t find any resonance among common golfers.

Is Nike’s footwear business going in the same direction? We don’t have an official announcement yet. But Tiger Woods has not worn a Nike shoe since his 2021 accident. The 47-year-old golfer prefers to wear FootJoy shoes. The kicks, in fact, have decked Charlie Woods’ feet as well. The teenager was spotted earlier using a FootJoy sneaker while practicing with his father.

Nevertheless, it’s still four years for Charlie Woods to officially qualify for the PGA Tour. And with the recurring episodes of LIV Golf and PGA Tour drama shows, a lot can change in four years. If Nike remains in the golf business all by themselves and Charlie Woods can carry the amateur days’ momentum to his pro career, it’d be a hard deal for Nike to miss out on.

Tiger Woods used the word ‘ecstatic’ to summarise his even-par performance over 72 holes in the Hero World Challenge throughout the week. The golf legend’s comeback has been a much-anticipated affair for nine months. He last played at the Masters in April, where he had to withdraw through the third round because of reaggravating plantar fasciitis. Later, he underwent surgery, followed by a sufficient period of rehabilitation. Woods, although started off a little rusty, finished 18th in the 20-golfers field with a Sunday round score of 72 and a final score of 288 at Albany. Scottie Scheffler came out triumphant after finishing in second place in the previous editions.

This time in the Bahamas, the most wonderful thing that happened to Woods was that his leg didn’t trouble him at all. Though mentally he was a bit rusty, which rewarded him with a few drop shots, physically he wasn’t bothered. Reflecting on the same, the Hall of Famer talked about his health in an interview.

Tiger Woods Gets Candid About His Performance in the Bahamas

Woods went on to highlight the fact that he was mentally rusty, but this event helped him shake that off soon.

The 15-time major winner made a total of 19 birdies and 15 unsuccessful bogeys. He played mediocre at par-5 holes, but his astounding drives carried the game. The only thing he lacked was mental calculations, which are a pivotal part of golf.

Woods’ next venture is the PNC Championship, where he can have his golf cart. He is all set to pair up with his son Charlie for the third time at the event. The father-son duo will be aiming to take home the trophy after a close call at victory back in 2021. Going forward to the 2024 season, he plans on playing once a month, with a couple of weeks to recover. There have been reports of him planning to play in a minimum of 5–6 events next year. Will those include majors? And will Woods finally be able to fulfil his dream of getting a 16th major victory to his name? Only time will tell.

Tiger Woods refused to confirm or deny whether his teenage son Charlie will caddie for him in next year’s majors after the conclusion of the Hero World Challenge. 

Rounds of 75, 70, 71 and 72 gave Woods a level par total of 288 strokes in Albany, the Bahamas.

By the time he completed his four rounds he was 18 strokes behind the leader Scottie Scheffler in the 20-man field.

But the victory for Woods was that he managed to walk 72 holes relatively easily compared to his most recent appearances.

The 15-time major champion displayed the occasional piece of brilliance alongside some noticeable rust in his first competitive start in seven months.

He had not played since hobbling out of the 47th Masters in visible anguish which prompted the golfer to go under the knife once again.

Woods had his right ankle fused which has alleviated the pain he was feeling in his heel. It’s the other parts of his body that are now sore, he said.

“I think the best part of the week is the way I drove it,” Woods told a pool of reporters on Sunday.

“I drove it on pretty much a string all week. Granted, these fairways are big.

“I felt like I had my ball speed up, which was nice, and I was hitting the middle of the face the entire week, which is nice.”

He said if there was anything he wanted to tidy up it would be his short game. Woods was also frustrated he played the par-5s poorly.

Woods also had a different caddie this week. Joe LaCava was hired by Woods in 2011 but he now loops for Patrick Cantlay.

His long-time friend and confidante Rob McNamara stepped in but in the future Charlie could be on the bag.

“I think he got an appreciation for how hard the job is” Woods said of McNamara.

“With so many different numbers and things that you have to calculate and how to stay in the present and stay in the future for the next shot and other shots and angles and winds, he got a better appreciation I think for how easy Joey made it look.”

A reporter put it to Woods: “Is there a scenario where Charlie could be on the bag in a major?”

Woods replied: “I don’t know yet. We haven’t talked about it.”

Pressed further, Woods added: “We haven’t talked about it.”

Golf fans will not have to wait long to see Woods back in action.

He is scheduled to play the forthcoming PNC Championship with Charlie over 14-17 December.

Tiger Woods sounded more optimistic about playing golf next year than he did about the PGA Tour finalizing a deal with Saudi Arabia or private investors by the end of the year.

Woods addressed reporters Tuesday for the first time in nearly eight months, and so much has happened since then — fusion surgery on his right ankle that kept him out of golf, the PGA Tour’s shocking agreement with the backers of LIV Golf and his decision to join the PGA Tour board for the first time in his career.

He is playing the Hero World Challenge, his holiday event in the Bahamas for 20 top players. Woods said his ankle — but not the rest of his body — is pain-free and even suggested he hopes that he can play once a month next year, starting with the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.

Woods was most candid about his frustration that he and other players were blindsided by the secret negotiations by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and two high-profile board members that led to the agreement announced June 6 with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

“We were very frustrated with what happened and we took steps going forward to ensure that the player involvement … we were not going to be left out of the process like we were,” he said. “So part of that process was putting me on the board and accepting that position.”

He was far more vague on details, not surprising since the board negotiations are private. Woods said only there were options, a lot of moving parts and that all sides were working aggressively toward finalizing a deal.

“All the parties are talking and we’re aggressively working on trying to get a deal done,” he said. “We’re all trying to make sure that the process is better, too. So the implementation of governance is one of the main topics (along) with getting the deal done, but making sure it’s done the right way.”

The agreement for a for-profit commercial enterprise was with PIF and the European tour. Now there are five private equity groups wanting to get involved, such as Fenway Sports Group and a Friends of Golf, a group that includes Henry Kravis and George Roberts.

The agreement announced in June set a Dec. 31 deadline to be finalized, though there was a clause that it could be extended.

“I am confident a deal will get done in some way,” Woods said. “Whether that comes Dec. 31 or is pushed back, all sides understand we’re working together.”

Among the topics is a fair pathway back to the tour for LIV players who want to return, and where team golf can fit in. He said the future appeared just as murky for those working on the agreement as it might seem to those on the outside.

“There’s a lot of moving parts on how we’re going to play, whether it’s here on the PGA Tour or it’s merging or team golf,” he said. “There’s a lot of different aspects that are being thrown out there all at once and we are trying to figure all that out and what is the best solution for all parties and best solution for all the players that are involved.”

Among moving parts is his ankle, which appears to be moving just fine. Woods said it was a matter of time before he would have needed ankle replacement surgery or fusion, and he chose the latter in April a few weeks after he made the cut at the Masters but then withdrew.

“I don’t have any of the ankle pain that I had with the hardware that’s been placed in my foot. That’s all gone,” Woods said. “The other parts of my body, my knee hurts, my back. The forces go somewhere else. Just like when I had my back fused, the forces have to go somewhere. So it’s up the chain.”

He said he was “just as curious as all of you” how he would play against a 20-man field in the Bahamas, though he said walking 90 holes (including the pro-am) would not be an issue.

Woods has been saying for years that his schedule would be drastically reduced because of so many surgeries. He sounded far more optimistic going into 2024, suggesting an ideal scenario of once a month, still uncertain if that’s realistic.

Such a schedule might include Riviera in February, The Players Championship in March and the majors in April, May, June and July.

“This week is a big step in that direction,” he said.

The other direction is working toward a finalized deal by the end of the year, or soon thereafter. Woods also is seen as a top candidate to be the next U.S. Ryder Cup captain for Bethpage Black in 2025. He said his time is consumed with board duties and he’s not willing to entertain any thoughts on the Ryder Cup just yet.