Mickelson would love to be paired with Tiger Woods at Augusta

Georgia (US), Mar.28 (ANI): Phil Mickelson says he would love to be paired with Tiger Woods for the first two rounds of next week's Augusta Masters.

According to The Telegraph, the pair are known to harbour no small degree of mutual antipathy, after a 15-year-long duel that Woods has dominated, in terms of major titles, outscoring his rival by 14 to three.

When they confronted each other once more at Augusta National last April, drawn at the top of the leader board in the same Sunday pairing, they contested the most engrossing front nine, matching each other almost stroke for stroke. But they barely spoke.

Woods, indeed, appeared not to want to be within 100 yards of his playing partner. It was the most telling reflection of the frostiness that has convinced the PGA never to put the two together if they can possibly avoid it. This is not to say Mickelson is opposed to a change. Having expressed public sympathy with Woods' torment since being embroiled in a sex scandal, he said: "The tour has not paired us together...well, since we have been out on tour. It has just never happened before. I think it would be great. I would love it."

Reminded of the final-day froideur last year, he replied, deadpan: "Yeah, I enjoyed that." (ANI)