'It will be fun for both of us': Tiger Woods excited to play next to Phil Mickelson at Sawgrass

Rob Lancaster

'It will be fun for both of us': Tiger Woods excited to play next to Phil Mickelson at Sawgrass image

Tiger Woods is looking forward to a rare opportunity this week to play alongside longtime rival Phil Mickelson at The Players Championship.

Tournament officials announced Sunday that the experienced pair will be joined by Rickie Fowler for the opening two rounds of this week's tournament at TPC Sawgrass.

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For Woods and Mickelson, it will be their first experience of playing in the same group since the first and second rounds of the PGA Championship in 2014.

The PGA Tour also confirmed one other featured group, as Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy will form a grouping Thursday and Friday.

"I do enjoy it [playing with Mickelson] because we don't get to do it very often," Woods told the media after his final round at the Wells Fargo Championship.

"We are normally paired up on the weekend if we are both playing well, and even that's a rarity.

"I know they tried that first experiment in 2008 [at the U.S. Open], [when world numbers] one, two and three were out together, and that was a blast for both of us.

"That was one of the very few times, if not the first time we played together the first two rounds. We don't get the opportunity to do it very often.

"We've been going at it for the better part of over 20 years and it's fun for both of us to be able to do that."

Woods carded a birdie-free 74 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 55th place at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C.

The 14-time major winner will be searching for a third career victory at The Players, though he has not won the tournament since 2013.

Rob Lancaster