Told these comments, Woods paused and said, “I think I’m pretty tough to beat when I’m playing well, too.”

Mickelson described Pelz’ comments as “enthusiastic.”

“I’ve tried not to give you too much to run with, and so I’m paying other people to do it,” he said with a laugh.

Mickelson once needled Woods in a magazine story three years ago by saying Woods used “inferior equipment.” Woods was coming off knee surgery that year and in his first tournament back, at the Buick Invitational, he met Mickelson in the final group and drummed him.

That was one of many showdowns between golf’s two biggest stars, and Woods usually has the last word.

Mickelson scored by beating Woods at Torrey Pines in 2000 to end his six-tournament winning streak, then coming from behind to beat him at the Tour Championship that year in Atlanta, the first time in four years Woods had blown a 54-hole lead.

Woods most recently took Mickelson down at Doral last year in a sizzling duel, making a 30-foot birdie on the 71st hole and a 6-foot par to secure the one-shot victory. It was a record crowd that afternoon in Miami, some 50,000 fans gathered to watch two heavyweights trading their best shots, and they weren’t disappointed.

But that was a final round.

Their summit at Medinah will only get them to the weekend, which is why neither of them is putting too much stock into the matchup.

“It is different in the sense that you’re not in contention to win a golf tournament yet,” Woods said. “You’re trying to put yourself in position to win a golf tournament. When you’re playing against ... those guys in a major, down the stretch on Sunday, now we’ve got everything on the line. but on a Thursday and Friday, you’re just getting started.”

Both come into the final major in a different frame of mind.

Mickelson was on the verge of joining Woods as the only players in the last 50 years to win three straight majors. He needed a par on the last hole at Winged Foot to win the U.S. Open, and bumbled his way to a double bogey to lose by one. He has played just three times since then, none very impressive, including his missed cut last week at the International.

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“Here’s a great example of how Tiger and I prepare differently,” Mickelson said. “He goes to the PGA Championship thinking that winning the British Open and winning the Buick Open is the best way. And I go in thinking that missing the cut is the best, and it gives me a weekend off to focus on my game.”

Mickelson was at his self-deprecating best Tuesday, which is not to be mistaken for how he feels about his chances. He loses more than he wins against Woods, but he relishes every opportunity.

“He’s one of the best players of all time, if not the best,” Mickelson said. “It’s been a fun challenge for me and the other guys to play against him, and he’s also pushed me to work harder and get better and achieve levels of success I may not have achieved.”

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