Phil Mickelson once confronted one of his arch-rivals.
Phil Mickelson once exploded at Vijay Singh in the locker room at The Masters during a row over the now-LIV Golf star’s spikes. Back in 2005, tensions were rising between the sport’s best players, with Mickelson, Singh, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els sharing frosty relationships.
Singh had little issue getting under the skin of his rivals. Then the top-ranked player on the PGA Tour, the Fijian is claimed to have complained about Mickelson’s spikes on the 12th hole at Augusta National.
The story goes that Singh called over an official to protest that the spikes on Mickelson’s soles were leaving significant marks in the ground. The American, who had switched from 6mm to 8mm spikes a few days before, was informed that someone would file them down.
Stuart Appleby, Mickelson’s playing partner, is said to have quipped: “What are they going to send? A blacksmith?”
The chair of Augusta National’s competition committee later revealed that the spikes were never filed and said: “One of our officials talked to Phil to see if there was a burr on the side of one of his spikes. He very generously, as you know he would, said he would change them when he got in if there was a problem. There wasn’t.”
Mickelson felt that Singh could have handled the situation more sensitively, perhaps making officials aware at the end of the round.
He reflected afterwards: “I was extremely distracted and would have appreciated if it would have been handled differently or after the round. After sitting in the locker room for a while, I heard Vijay talking to other players about it, and I confronted him. He expressed his concerns. I expressed my disappointment with the way it was handled.’’
However, Mickelson’s version of events are reported to be extremely watered down. According to Golf WRX, he entered the locker room to hear Singh criticising him to other players. It is claimed that Mickelson yelled at his rival, called him a “motherf*****”, and offered to settle their differences outside.
That version of events was largely backed up by Tiger Woods’ caddie at the time, Steve Williams, on the Chasing Majors podcast.
I think it was just Phil and Vijay,” said Williams, who added that Mickelson’s spikes were “certainly legal”. He continued: “I understand there was a bit of a heated conversation in the locker room. There’s no love lost between those two, that’s for sure.”
Mickelson finished 10th that year with Woods going on to win. There was a third green jacket for the now-54-year-old 12 months later, though.
And when Singh was criticised in 2020 for taking a place in a Korn Ferry Tour event, Mickelson leapt to his defence, saying: “It’s no secret VJ and I aren’t close, but I’d like to say on his behalf that in addition to being a member of the HoF, he’s a big part of the PGA Tour’s success which financially subsidises, and always has, the KFT. He has earned the right to play when and where he wants.”
Sing, though, is yet to repay the compliment to Mickelson following his decision to join the LIV Golf tour in 2022.
