Who Hit It Further - Tiger Woods Or Phil Mickelson?
Both Woods and Mickelson are considered greats of the game - but we look at who hit the ball further using average driving distances and their outright longest drives
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are undoubtedly two of golf's modern-day greats. The duo share 21 Major championships and 115 regular PGA Tour titles as well as a host of other trophies and accolades.
Woods was well known for having a sparkling all-around game while Mickelson is the proud owner of one of the best short games ever seen - complimenting his excellent overall skill. Both could shift it out there during their heyday - but who hit it further?
Woods v Mickelson Driving Distances
Between Mickelson turning pro in 1988 and Woods arriving on the scene a full eight years later, Lefty regularly sat in the top half of the PGA Tour's longest drivers over the course of a season and only once dipped below the tour average. That was in his first season, where he was just 0.3 yards shy of the 262.9 yard median.
During his early years in the big leagues, Mickelson struggled with consistency of distance off the tee. He posted 262.6 in 1988 before rocketing up to 278.7 a year later and crashing back down to 266.2 in 1990. But from 1991 onwards, Mickelson's numbers predominantly moved one way - up.
The three-time Masters champion was never crowned the longest hitter over a season, however. He twice came close by finishing third in both 2000 and 2003, with the second of those efforts producing a mammoth average driving distance of 306 yards.
Prior to that, Mickelson finished in a tie for third in 2000 with a year-long number of 288.7. And guess who was one of the two above him? Tiger Woods. Five years into his professional career, Woods actually ended 2000 almost 10 yards longer than Mickelson with 298.0 - though he trailed monster hitter, John Daly by a full 3.5 yards, himself.
Lefty's longest season in professional golf arrived during the shortened 2020 campaign - where the Covid-19 pandemic caused much of the world to stop in its tracks for at least a brief period. Mickelson's 311.5 average was only ahead of his 306.3 the previous year, record numbers which arrived following a swing-speed increase of between five and six miles per hour that helped Mickelson start hitting bombs and ultimately add Major number six to his display cabinet at the age of 50.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
And his most recent season in the LIV Golf League proves he has been able to maintain that power, too. Throughout 2023, Mickelson averaged an incredible 301.8 yards off the tee - higher than the PGA Tour average of 299.9.
Meanwhile, once Woods turned pro, the 15-time Major champion spent each of his first five full seasons on tour as one of the top-three longest hitters off the tee, without managing to dislodge Daly, via yardages of 293.1 and 298.
Woods continued to win plenty of titles but only lifted above 300 yards at the end of a campaign between 2004-07 - not reaching the magic number again until 2015. His longest year on tour was in 2005, belting it an average of 316.1 yards. Woods remained comfortably above the tour average in every season he featured, aside from the 2021 season where he fell below by 5.9 yards.
And of the 27 seasons where both golfers had turned professional and played at least one tournament - Woods missed the entire 2016 campaign - Woods outdrove Mickelson in 18 of them.
Woods v Mickelson Longest Drives
Although neither had managed to stand on top of the average-driving-distance mountain, so to speak, both Woods and Mickelson are able to boast the longest single drive in separate years on the PGA Tour.
Woods' longest drive arrived at the Mercedes Championship in January 2002 - the first year the PGA Tour began recording such a statistic - and was just a hop short of 500 yards, coming to rest at an outstanding 498 yards.
Not to take anything away from Woods, but the mammoth smash came on the 18th hole of the Plantation Course in Hawaii - a hole that features a large downslope - and he was one of 19 players to hit the ball over 450 yards on that hole during the tournament that week. Still, it goes down as his longest ever drive on the PGA Tour.
Meanwhile, Mickelson's big-drive crown arrived in 2013 - the same year he won The Open ahead of Henrik Stenson at Muirfield Golf Links in Scotland. It probably didn't occur in the way he had planned, mind, with the left-hander slightly pulling a drive down the right side of the par-4 17th at TPC Blue Monster at Doral in the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
Thanks to the errant line, though, Mickelson's ball bounded down the cart path far further than it ordinarily would have and landed pin-high at 450 yards. That helped him win the longest drive of 2013 and tie Woods for one unofficial long-drive crown each.
The above statistics prove that both legends of the game were long hitters. But while Mickelson is now hitting it further than ever, it's safe to say that - throughout their careers - Woods came out on top in this particular battle.
Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and is hoping to reach his Handicap goal of 18 at some stage. He attended both the 150th and 151st Open Championships and dreams of attending The Masters one day.
-
Braden Thornberry Facts: 15 Things You Didn't Know About The American Golfer
Get to know Braden Thornberry better with these facts regarding his life and career so far
By Joel Kulasingham Published
-
What Is Stroke Index In Golf?
We've all seen it on the scorecard, but do you know what SI actually means and how it works?
By Roderick Easdale Published
-
What Is Tiger Woods' Open Championship Record?
We take a closer look at the 15-time Major winner's record at golf's oldest Major Championship
By Michael Weston Published
-
Why Tiger Woods’ Masters Week Was Actually A Huge Success
Woods finished last at an event in which he made the cut for just the third time in his near-30-year pro career at The 2024 Masters - but looking at the result here is too short-sighted...
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Who Has Won The Most Money At The Masters?
Jack Nicklaus has won the most Green Jackets in history and Tiger Woods is the most successful champion in the modern era - but the answer is neither of those two...
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Phil Mickelson What’s In The Bag? 2024 Update
Lefty is no stranger to tinkering with his equipment line-up and playing with older clubs. Let's see what he's using in 2024
By Michael Weston Published
-
25 Things You Didn’t Know About Sergio Garcia
Get to know 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia better with these 25 facts
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Rory McIlroy What’s In The Bag? 2024 Update
We take a look at the clubs currently in the bag of four-time major winner Rory McIlroy for the 2024 season
By Sam Tremlett Published
-
All 15 Of Tiger Woods' Major Wins
We take a look at Tiger Woods' 15 Major victories, a tally that only one man in history can beat
By Elliott Heath Published
-
How Many Putts Per Round Did Tiger Woods Have In His Prime?
How much of the 15-time Major winner's success was built on his ability with the putter? We've looked into the numbers to find out...
By Jonny Leighfield Published