5 wins in 11 starts
Rank                     Events    Earnings
1 Tiger Woods 11 7,659,119
2 Phil Mickelson 16 4,941,97

Phil has 3 wins this year... including a major.

And like I said before.. Tiger is a "good" player.. but he's not a "great" player anymore. And he won the wgc bridgestone because he shot a 61 on friday and did nothing the other 3 days... he's to up and down to rely on.

And I expect the fools to bet him down at the PGA Champion only to lose their money!

END OF MESSAGE

Furnsam, do you think Tiger would trade his season to date right now for Phii's?  It ain't about the Benjamins for Tiger, it is about the Majors. Phil has one this year and Tiger doesn't

Yes, Tiger would probably trade it all for a major win, and obviously it is no longer about the money. However, 5 wins in 11 starts against top world fields is incredible. Phil has 3 wins in 16 starts, which is excellent too, but does not match Tiger's record this year. Also, so what if Tiger has won 8 times on this course? It is still against the top world players which change every year.
It doesn't matter whether you like him or not, you have to give Tiger his due for his performance thus far this year.

ne is on the short list of the greatest golfers ever to live. The other is Phil Mickelson. Period. Tiger has 79 PGA wins and 14 Major Championships. Phil has 42 wins and 5 Majors. Any comparisons are a joke.  

Let's put this in perspective. If Phil Mickelson, from this point forward had TOM WATSONS CAREER (8 majors and 39 wins), he would only have a mere 2 more PGA wins and still trail Tiger by one major. So the combined careers of Watson and Mickelson basically equal Tiger Woods. If that doesn't put Tiger's greatness in perspective, nothing will.  

So Tiger hasn't won a major in 5 years. He cumulative finishes in those majors still dwarf his competitors. Jack went 5 years without winning one...and the competition of today is a heck of lot stronger than it was. Tiger is still the #1 player in golf today and its really not up for debate.  

This is not a knock on Phil Mickelson. He is a Hall of Fame worthy golfer. But Tiger is an immortal.

There is no debating on whose had the better career, it's not even close Tiger by far, however as of 2013.. Phil Mickelson has become a better player. Look at the last 2 majors for example us open Phil has the lead losses at the end to justin rose.. Tiger finishes +13

British Open on Sunday Tiger's two off the lead, Phil is four off the lead... Tiger paired with Adam Scott and he chokes... Phil comes from 4 shots back and wins.  

I'll take 3 wins with a major over 5 wins any day... and we still have plenty of golf left to play. And stop referencing to the rankings Rory Mcilroy is ranked #3... and he really needs to consider retiring!

This is the Max Scherzer argument in baseball. I have heard a few baseball analysts refer to Scherzer as "the best pitcher in baseball" Are you kidding me? He may be having a great 2/3 of a season, but he is not even close to being the best pitcher in the sport. Game 7 of the World Series, I can think of 20 plus guys I'd rather have on the mound than Scherzer. In the world we live in of "what have you done for me lately", this takes the cake.    

Same argument applies to Tiger and Phil. Mickelson, by some people's account, may be having a better year, but he has never been, is not today, and will never be a better golfer than Tiger Woods. Tiger is a living immortal, a once every one or two generation type player. Again, stop just looking at Majors. Jack went 5 years without winning. Tiger set the bar so high, that if he doesn't win every major he enters, all you hear is "he choked", or "his skills have eroded" or "he is not mentally with it" . None of this is true. His skill level has not eroded and he clearly remains the best golfer in the game.  

Again, I'm not knocking Phil. I root for Phil. While fans never get to know athletes, from the outside looking in, he come's across as a nice man, a good father/husband. He is very easy to root for and I certainly hopes he completes the career grand slam by winning the US Open. Off the course, he is the anti-Tiger. But on the course, he will never be Tiger's equal.    

-- Modified on 8/6/2013 3:39:45 AM

One could make a strong argument that he is the best pitcher in baseball this year!

Tiger is a living immortal lol LMAO.. yeah maybe six years ago.... I'm starting to wonder if you follow golf... if you had you'd know Tiger hasn't dominated the sport in years.

Rory Mcilroy just last year dominated the sport... and you would have to be a fool to say that Tiger was better than him last year. Now you could however debate this year... Tiger has 5 wins.. Phil has 3 with a major.. I think both are neck in neck this year with a whole lot of golf left to play... if Tiger goes out and wins the PGA this week there is no argument!

And I repeat Tiger is a good player, he's very good.. but he's not a "great" player anymore

Golf is more difficult  than it looks .  Some days I could have done better throwing the ball .

If I ever  break 74 on a regulation course , I will call myself  a great golfer .  
 80  when  cash is on the line  

 Phil and Tiger will both go down as the greatest golfers of their time .  
  #1 of this era ,yet to be determined .

You might consider spending a little bit more range time with a qualified teaching professional. I am self taught, haven't spent anywhere near as much time on the golf course as you, AND I drink like a fish, yet I have broken 74 more than a few times playing from the tips on some rather substantial golf courses.

I say this only if score is really that important to you. Right now I can barely break 90, but I play infrequently and quite frankly I am much more concerned with having fun than "posting a score" but if you are going to spend 30+ hours a week on a golf course, a bit of proffesional help will help you break into a single digit handicap. Golf is a difficult game, but breaking into single digits is not as daunting a task as you make it seem.