AUGUSTA, Ga. – The power off the tee and the sharpness with his short game made him look like the Tiger Woods of old. The smile on his face and the company he kept Tuesday at the Masters – a practice round with Phil Mickelson – suggested someone entirely different.
Woods and Mickelson had not played together at Augusta National since 2009, and even then it wasn’t by choice. They were paired in the final round, and while neither won the green jacket, Lefty shot 67 and got him by one shot.
This time they were partners, and it wasn’t a fair fight against Fred Couples and Thomas Pieters.
Never mind that Mickelson hit his opening tee shot at No. 10 behind a magnolia tree. Unlike that failed foursomes match they played at Oakland Hills in the 2004 Ryder Cup, Mickelson had to play the next shot, too.
Phil Mickelson, left, and Tiger Woods walk down the 11th fairway while playing a practice round for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., Tuesday, April 3, 2018. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)The two loudest roars that shattered the morning calm came from Woods making eagle on the two par 5s at No. 13 and No. 15.