Phil Mickelson has outlasted Tiger Woods to win "The Match", claiming victory on the 22nd hole
The head-to-head clash with a winner-takes-all prize of US$9 million was played over an 18 hole match play shootout.
Mickelson had all the momentum early hitting the first five fairways, but it only equated to only a one-up lead at its highest.
The short game wizard looked a shell of himself around the greens as he struggled to make putts and made an awful mistake on the seventh hitting a bunker shot into another sand trap.
Woods did what he has done his whole career griding out hole-saving shots when he wasn’t playing well.
The 14-time Major winner birdied the par-five seventh to get the match to all-square.
The 42-year-old carded two straight birdies to start the back nine to claim his first lead of the match on the 12th hole.
As they made the turn you could see the shift from the fun and banter to the serious gamesmanship, reminiscent of theid days as PGA Tour rivals.
Going down the 13th there was virtually no chat between the two as they looked to lock in and win their match.
"I’m trying to talk more but I can't," Mickelson said.
"We got back into our own modes of trying to beat each other's brains out," Woods replied.
It was a hard slog at all times with the biggest lead at any point only being one up.
Although it was an exhibition match, it still had a final round of a major final group pairing as the two walked down the closing holes.
Tension, drama, and excitement were all there as the two greatest golfers of their generation put on a show in the desert.
On the 17th green, Mickelson had a chance to end the contest, one up, with a 15-foot birdie putt, but he lipped out and the two combatants headed to the final hole all square after Woods chipped in.
Mickelson summed it up perfectly saying "He does that crap to me all the time."
"He’s been doing that to me for 20 years."
But as the match moved to extra holes and the darkness set in the two golfers played a 93-yard par three on three occasions before a winner was crowned.
It was Phil Mickelson whom the fading light shined the brightest on, making a four-foot putt on the 22nd hole to take out "The Match" and the big cheque.
Newshub.
