“Sorry to hear this” – Phil Mickelson shares heartfelt message after Tiger Woods’ gutting injury update

Phil Mickelson has extended his heartfelt wishes to Tiger Woods, who recently underwent back surgery. The former reacted to news of the latter’s health update on X, wishing him a speedy recovery.

On October 11, Tiger Woods shared a post on X revealing that he visited the hospital after experiencing pain and lack of mobility. He was diagnosed with a collapsed disc and underwent a successful lumbar disc replacement surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Mickelson quoted Woods’ announcement, writing:

“I’m sorry to hear this and I wish him the best for a speedy recovery.”

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were originally friends during the early years of the former’s career. However, the two fell out in the late 1990s and ended up in a longstanding rivalry that spanned almost two decades.

The duo’s turning point came at the 2016 Ryder Cup, when they worked together to usher Team USA to victory. Woods was a vice captain, while Mickelson was part of the 12-man team that defeated Team Europe 17 - 11 at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Years later, Phil Mickelson spoke about when his relationship with Woods changed. He said:

“I’ve always had this respect for what he’s [Tiger Woods] done for me and my family. Because nobody has benefited more. But I think our relationship turned around in 2016 when we worked together for the Ryder Cup.” (Per The Sun)

The LIV Golf player noted that he spent a lot of time strategizing about the team with Woods. The two talked about the players, picks, and course set up, which ultimately led them to develop respect for each other.

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Phil Mickelson dubs Tiger Woods as the ‘greatest of all time’

In July, Phil Mickelson was featured in an episode of Grant Horvat’s 2v2 series on YouTube, during which they faced off against Bryson DeChambeau and Garrett Clark on the course. After they wrapped up play, Mickelson spoke about his “Tiger Slayer” putter and lauded Woods as the greatest golfer of all time.

Mickelson gave Horvat some insight into why he named his putter the “Tiger Slayer.” He shared that it was in the 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, when he used the putter to defeat Woods and win the tournament for the fourth time in his career.

The 45-time PGA Tour winner also credited Tiger Woods for being a legend in the game. He said:

“Obviously his record is his record, he's the greatest of all time. I've seen him do things with a golf ball that I've never seen anybody be able to do. And his play in 2000 was indescribable, how good it was." (Golf Monthly)

Phil Mickelson also noted that Woods “owned” him in the first part of his career. However, he also said that the roles were reversed in the later part of his career, when he started “doing really well head-to-head.”

Edited by Sarah Rishama Madaki