The Tiger-Phil Era Is Back, but It's Completely Different This Time Around

Is it really?

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are, indeed, currently Nos. 1 and 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Rory McIlroy has descended down the OWGR, a slide that will continue until he finds his game and finds a way to win a tournament.

For now, the young Northern Irishman is just another golfer who was hyped to be or tried to be a rival to Woods, but it just didn't happen. Vijay Singh and David Duval come quickly to mind in that category.

But I perceive rivalries in a slightly different way than others.

Head-to-head totals aren’t as meaningful to me as a continued stretch of tournaments and championships in which the combatants play at high levels, win a lot and have thrilling head-to-head final-round battles.

The first edition of the Tiger-Phil rivalry featured an on-the-rise Tiger Woods and an established Phil Mickelson who was searching for his first major championship. It quickly became apparent as Woods started accumulating titles and majors that he and Mickelson were the two best players at the time.

The two were paired in the final round of the Masters in 2001, with Woods leading by a shot. Woods completed his Tiger Slam by beating Mickelson by three.

In 2005, Woods won another Masters and had the green jacket draped over his shoulders by none other than Mickelson, who had won his first Masters the year before. Woods also won the British Open while Mickelson won the PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

In 2004, there was the infamous pairing of the two superstars in the Ryder Cup, a Hal Sutton bit of genius that resulted in a pair of losses and a whole pocketful of disgusted and disinterested looks between the two.

The rivalry that existed in those years was a good one, but it was missing one important thing. Unlike Woods, Mickelson has never had that all-consuming drive to be the No. 1 player in the world. From the time he was a child, Woods had that goal instilled in him, and he has been the top dog for many years.

The rivalry everyone expected was going to be the next great one was with Rory McIlroy. The kid, now 24 years old, burst onto the scene with a dynamic game. He fell apart on the back nine on Sunday of the 2011 Masters but won the U.S. Open a few months later at Congressional and won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in 2012.

The sporting public’s appetite for that big rivalry seemed finally to have something to bite into.

And then McIlroy made a top-to-bottom equipment change before the start of the 2013 season. He made a lot of money and a lot of bogeys and was never a factor this year.

Meanwhile, Woods won four tournaments early in the year, Mickelson blew away the field in Phoenix, and the whispers started. Neither played well at the Masters—as a matter of fact, Mickelson was mediocre at best.

The big left-hander had perhaps his best chance to win a U.S. Open at Merion in June but couldn't close the deal on Sunday. Woods couldn't get into the mix.

And then…

Mickelson made his annual trip of doom across the pond to play in the Scottish and British Opens, and—holy kilts—he won both.

Now, the talk has been ramped up immensely.

Golf’s biggest rivalry has returned. Mickelson and Woods reign supreme again.

The rivalry has a bit of a different feel to it this time, though. Mickelson has all the momentum, while Woods is still trying to regain the touch that made him dominant early in the year.

While they sit at No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, the big unknown at the moment is just how far Mickelson will be able to take this. Consistency has never been Mickelson's trademark, even though he’s won 51 times worldwide. He’s an up-and-down player who, when he puts together a stretch of play like he did the last two weeks, glitters.

But will he have the motivation or interest to take a serious run at Woods at age 43?

Not surprisingly, in his first event back in the U.S., Mickelson looked every bit like a tired 43-year-old, posting a three-over-par total 143 for two rounds. Meanwhile, Woods is playing on another of his “home” courses and is tearing it up again.

The heat will be on Mickelson in the revival of this rivalry. If Woods wins this week, he’ll extend his lead over Mickelson in the OWGR points.

Even is Mickelson were to win this week and next week at the PGA Championship, he still wouldn’t be able to overtake Woods for the No. 1 player in the world.

Chances are that will be the case through the duration of the big rivalry. Woods is driven by wins and major championship wins. Mickelson wants to be as good a player as he can as long as it fits with his main priority, which is his family.

Yes, it’s a different kind of rivalry this time.

The question is whether it will be any better.