“The excitement that’s been going on around here, it gets me thinking: Why don’t we just bypass all the ancillary stuff of a tournament and just go head-to-head and just have kind of a high-stakes, winner-take-all match?” Mickelson said then. “Now, I don’t know if he wants a piece of me, but I just think it would be something that would be really fun for us to do, and I think there would be a lot of interest in it if we just went straight to the final round.”<doc-sep>It should be noted the Woods-Mickelson match remains in an embryonic state, and there's a, ahem, good chance one of the parties leaked out the proposed details after the other backed out. Which is why, yes, you can even bet if the clash will even happen (1/2 that it will).<doc-sep>Tiger Woods doubles Phil Mickelson's bet that he'll birdie the first hole in The Match on Friday. (1:34) The two biggest names in golf over the past 25 years -- Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson -- will meet in a winner-take-all $9 million match-play event the day after Thanksgiving at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. The Match: Tiger vs. Phil When: Friday, 3 p.m. ET Where: Shadow Creek Golf Course (Las Vegas) Format: Match play Stakes: $9 million winner-take-all Their careers speak for themselves. Sure, it's not 15 years ago, when the two were in the middle of their glory days, but still, it's two of the sport's greatest. Need proof? Here's the evidence: Tiger vs. Phil: By the numbers Tiger Woods Phil Mickelson Career wins 80 43 Major championships 14 5 Last win Tour Championship (2018) WGC-Mexico (2018) Career earnings $115.5 million $88.3 million Overall top-10 finishes 193 193 Top-3 finishes in majors 25 23 Official World Golf Ranking 13 27 play 1:21 Phil, Tiger ready to bet on the course Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods join PTI to reassure Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon that there will be side wagers in The Match. Tiger vs. Phil: 2018 season Tiger Woods Phil Mickelson Scoring average 69.350 70.098 Driving distance 303.6 (T-32nd) 300.3 (57th) Driving accuracy 59.35% (127th) 52.91% (189th) Greens in regulation 67.40% (82nd) 64.88% (T-137th) Strokes gained (putting) .266 (48th) .510 (13th) Strokes gained (tee-to-green) 1.330 (8th) .420 (T-65th) Strokes gained (total) 1.596 (5th) .931 (27th) play 1:13 Phil: I want bragging rights over Tiger Phil Mickelson says he's been preparing this offseason with the hopes to get bragging rights over Tiger Woods. When they are paired together Event (Round) Tiger Woods Phil Mickelson 2018 PLAYERS (2nd) 71 73 2018 PLAYERS (1st) 72 79 2014 PGA Championship (2nd) 74 67 2014 PGA Championship (1st) 74 69 2013 Deutsche Bank (2nd) 67 71 2013 Deutsche Bank (1st) 68 63 2012 U.S. Open (2nd) 70 71 2012 U.S. Open (1st) 69 76 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach (4th) 75 64 2011 WGC-Cadillac Champ (3rd) 70 72 2011 WGC-Cadillac Champ (2nd) 74 71 2011 WGC-Cadillac Champ (1st) 70 73 2010 BMW Championship (4th) 70 67 2009 Masters (4th) 68 67 2008 U.S. Open (2nd) 68 75 2008 U.S. Open (1st) 72 71 2007 Deutsche Bank (4th) 67 66 2007 Deutsche Bank (2nd) 64 64 2007 Deutsche Bank (1st) 72 70 2006 PGA Championship (2nd) 68 71 2006 PGA Championship (1st) 69 69 2006 Ford Championship (3rd) 68 72 2005 Ford Championship (4th) 66 69 2003 Buick Invitational (4th) 68 72 2002 TOUR Championship (4th) 70 69 2002 TOUR Championship (1st) 71 70 2001 Masters (4th) 68 70 2001 PLAYERS (3rd) 66 72 2000 TOUR Championship (1st) 68 67 2000 WGC-NEC Invitational (3rd) 67 69 2000 Buick Open (3rd) 67 65 1999 U.S. Open (3rd) 72 73 1998 Nissan Open (2nd) 73 76 1998 Nissan Open (1st) 68 67 1997 TOUR Championship (2nd) 68 72 1997 NEC World Series (2nd) 72 72 1997 PGA Championship 75 75 play 2:01 Mickelson says match vs. Tiger is a 'sprint, not a marathon' Phil Mickelson joins Scott Van Pelt to preview his upcoming $9 million match against Tiger Woods and how it differs from competing for majors.<doc-sep>Editor's note: This story was originally published July 6, 2018. As an escape artist, Phil Mickelson makes everyone from Harry Houdini to David Blaine appear slow and lacking in imagination. Whether it is a shot from behind an Augusta National tree or an unruly lie in an insider-trading case involving a high-stakes gambling partner, Mickelson always pulls something out of his bag to get home safely. A John Daly-esque stunt at the U.S. Open that compelled Lefty to apologize and describe himself as embarrassed, starting a conversation that promised to last the summer and beyond? Hey, did I happen to mention that I'm going to wrestle Tiger Woods in a $10 million winner-take-all that might make Vince McMahon blush? Yes, Lefty started publicly campaigning for a steel-cage match against Tiger before his Shinnecock meltdown on the 13th green. Now, it's official. Woods and Mickelson will meet in a winner-take-all $9 million match play event Friday, Nov. 23, at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. The event will be televised on pay-per-view by Turner's B/R Live platform, in addition to DirecTV and AT&T U-verse. Pricing has not been set. I bet you think this is the easiest $9M you will ever make😂 — Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 22, 2018 At a Players Championship news conference in May, he steered a question about his pairing with Woods into an opportunity to say it would be a ton of fun to "bypass all the ancillary stuff of a tournament and just go to a head-to-head" with the defining titan of his generation -- or any generation. "It's been four years since we've been paired last on Thursday-Friday," Mickelson said at the Players, "and I don't think we should wait for the governing bodies to put us together. I think we should just do something on our own and get after it." Woods responded, "I'm definitely not against that. We'll play for whatever makes him uncomfortable." AP Photo/Lynne Sladky Woods then outplayed Mickelson over two days at TPC Sawgrass, leaving their proposed duel in the sun dormant until Lefty jolted it back to life in a Golf.com story Friday that reported the match nearly happened on July 3 in Las Vegas (where else?) and that negotiations between the players' camps were advancing toward a firm date. "I couldn't do it on my own," Mickelson then told the website. "He couldn't do it on his own. But together, we're [trying] to create something pretty special." If nothing else, this story created a needed diversion for Mickelson, still wounded after his biggest U.S. Open mistake since his second shot on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot in 2006. Who wants to talk about an intentional swipe at a moving ball to spite the USGA in the middle of the national championship when Tiger and Phil are about to go one-on-one for big bucks in a staredown that might draw more TV viewers than a Masters Sunday? As the lesser historical figure, Mickelson has more to gain here. He has long credited Woods for enhancing his career, and bank account, by dramatically increasing prize money and endorsement opportunities for all pros. At 48, Mickelson realizes his winning days might be over. Given the likelihood that a Lefty-Tiger final pairing on a major championship Sunday isn't going to happen, it makes sense for Mickelson to find creative ways to monetize his association with the 42-year-old Woods, who owns huge career advantages in major titles (14-5) and tour victories (79-43) over the second-best player of his era. But their pending faceoff raises some important questions for a sport often struggling to capture the attention of American sports fans who are already overserved by baseball, football and basketball, and who pay attention to golf only four weeks a year (maybe five in a Ryder Cup year). Included among the more pressing questions are these: Doesn't a manufactured TV event cheapen the game? No, made-for-TV matches are part of golf history. While Woods' exhibitions under the lights with past and present, male and female stars early in his prime didn't make any lasting impact, "Shell's Wonderful World of Golf" was a viewing treasure. That series started pitting aging greats against each other in the 1960s, when you could watch Ben Hogan vs. Sam Snead, and later in the 1990s, when you could watch Jack Nicklaus vs. Arnold Palmer and Gary Player vs. Lee Trevino. Doesn't the constant coverage of Tiger and Phil hurt the tour's attempt to market this new wave of 20-something American stars? Golf's advantage over more physically taxing sports is its ability to ride its transcendent champions into their 40s and beyond. Tom Watson was one putt away from winning his sixth Open Championship title at age 59. Nicklaus had a legitimate chance to win his seventh green jacket at Augusta at age 58. The fan, player and media buzz around the Tiger-Phil practice round at this year's Masters said it all, and so did this photo of the masses following Woods at the Quicken Loans National. The Jordan Spieths and Brooks Koepkas and Patrick Reeds can wait until Woods puts away his clubs for keeps. Tiger doesn't have any genuine respect for Phil, does he? He does now. In the old days, no, he didn't. Woods started changing the way he felt about Mickelson in 2004, when Lefty finally broke through and won his first major title. The following year, during their epic Sunday showdown at Doral, Mickelson hit it in close in what would ultimately be a losing effort. The crowd went wild. "Great f---ing shot, Phil!" Woods shouted above the noise. Tiger's respect for Phil has grown over time, in part because Mickelson won five majors and three legs of the Grand Slam and, in part, because Lefty started competing fiercely against Woods. Tiger's career advantage in head-to-head rounds was only 16-15-4 before going 2-0 at the Players. Come on, isn't this really a mere money-grab gimmick involving two zillionaires? You can call it that.<doc-sep>
First, let's get the ground rules out of the way. The champions dinner will be held at Perkins. And under no circumstance may a player strike more than one (1) still-rolling putt per 18 holes. And one more thing: I'll watch. RELATED: Read more from Martin Fennelly. Tiger versus Lefty, $10 million, winner take all, loser rakes the sand traps. That's the proposal, and despite that it comes about 10 years too late — when Tiger Woods was astride the golf world and Phil Mickelson wasn't so bad himself — it still works for me. Put it this way: Their in-the-works Las Vegas showdown, two legends head-to-head, beats the heck out of the John Deere Classic. Hey, you watch Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka. Yes, it's fake sports. Yes, it's contrived. And, no, it isn't their $10 million. Both these men are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The loser of this wacky event will not have to choose between paying the electric or cable next month. Also: I'll watch. It says something about golf that for all its talk about next big things and youth, it still will fall back on its reliable, ancient and even fallen stars. It's not alone among sports. But no sport looks more ageless than golf. Why do old guys still make gobs of money playing on the senior tour? I'd still pay to watch Jack Nicklaus knock it around. Star power matters, which brings us back to Tiger and Lefty. Clearly, Mickelson has more to gain in the matchup, especially after his clown act at this year's U.S. Open, his childish run-and-swipe at his runaway putt. Plus, Woods leads in majors (14-5) and wins (79-43). But it's not as if Woods wouldn't benefit, too. Think he couldn't use some positive public relations? Woods and Mickelson have been paired pitifully few times during their careers. Jack and Arnie used to throw down all the time at majors. And this would answer all those what-ifs. We all have them. I know I do. Like, how would Babe Ruth have hit against Sandy Koufax? What about LeBron versus Jordan, one-on-one? Or Secretariat versus Seabiscuit? Try to tell me you wouldn't watch a Tiger-Lefty desert duel. Woods' long game against Mickelson's short game. Both with galleries to back them up. I still wish Woods and Mickelson were the ones putting up the $10 million. And maybe they should be allowed one stroke a round to knock the other guy's putt away from the hole. Maybe not. Too much circus. This will be enough of one as it is. And there's this: I'll watch. Contact Martin Fennelly at mfennelly@tampabay.com. Follow @mjfennelly.