2000: The Year of the Tiger

The Best of Tiger vs. Lefty

In 2000, Tiger solidified himself as the consensus No.1 in golf. He did so in dominating fashion by capturing three out of the four majors by a combined 24-shot margin of victory. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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2000: The Year o... In 2000, Tiger solidified himself as the consensus No.1 in golf. He did so in dominating fashion by capturing three out of the four majors by a combined 24-shot margin of victory. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Phil Ends Tiger ... In early 2000, Mickelson silenced his critics, winning by four stokes and ending Tiger's six consecutive win streak. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
Tiger Tops Phil ... The last time the U.S. Open was played at Bethpage Black was in 2002. Mickelson was favored to win the event but ended up watching Woods finish three shots ahead of him to claim his second U.S. Open title. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Monday Night Gol... From 2003-05, Tiger and Phil faced off against each other in a series of prime-time matches. With partners ranging from John Daly to Sergio Garcia, Phil defeated Tiger in two of the three contests. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
Phil Gets Monkey... With a dramatic birdie on the 18th at Augusta National, Mickelson won his first Masters and shed the "Best Player to Never Win a Major" stigma. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Super Pairing Pr... For the '04 Ryder Cup, captain Hal Sutton elected to pair Tiger and Phil together in both the Friday morning four ball matches and the Friday afternoon foursome at Oakland Hills Country Club. The team lost both matches en route to an 18.5-9.5 rout at the hands of the European side. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Tiger Bests Phil... In 2005, playing together in the final pairing of the final round, Woods outplayed Mickelson to regain the No. 1 ranking in the world. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell)
Phil Takes Down ... Phil found redemption at the '07 Deutsche Bank Championship when he beat Tiger for the first time in a final round pairing. The win was especially sweet for Mickelson as Woods was co-hosting the event. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Phil Rips Tiger,... Mickelson criticized Woods' choice of equipment, saying that if he were using any clubs other than Nike's, he would be even further distanced from his competition. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Lefty Snags Swin... In April 2007, Mickelson made headlines when he fired long-time partner Rick Smith and enlisted the help of Tiger’s former swing coach Butch Harmon. (AP Photo, Denis Poroy)
Caddie Williams ... After an event in New Zealand last December, Steve Williams, Tiger's long-time caddie, added fuel to the rivalry when he slammed Mickelson's on-course character in an interview with the Star Times: "I don't particularly like the guy. He pays me no respect at all and hence I don't pay him any respect. It's no secret we don't get along either." (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Battle at Torrey... The USGA pleased golf fans by pairing Tiger and Phil during the first two rounds of the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Tiger's Improbab... Hobbling around his home course on one leg, Woods gutted out a one stroke victory in a 19- hole playoff with Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines. On the day following the improbable win, Retief Goosen questioned how hurt Woods was and thought he could have potentially been faking the injury. Two days later it was found that Woods had a torn ligament in his left knee and two stress fractures that required extensive surgery and rehab. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Out with Tiger, ... Many saw the second half of the Tiger-less '08 season as a chance for Mickelson to clear the hedge and dominate the two remaining majors. But it was Padraig Harrington who seized the opportunity and captured both the British Open and the coveted PGA Championship. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Final Round Show... Seven shots behind leaders Angel Cabrera, Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell, Tiger and Phil teed off the final round of the '09 Masters and stole the show with a blistering front nine. But the seven stroke deficit would prove too much as both faltered down the stretch. Phil finished fifth ahead of Tiger who finished in a four-way tie for sixth. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)