"What were you watching?" - When Tiger Woods backed Phil Mickelson after journalist doubted competition level

Tiger Woods' respect for the skills and capabilities of his rivals came to light during the 2002 U.S. Open. It was the first time that the Major was played on a publicly owned golf course—Bethpage State Park’s Black Course.

During the post-tournament press conference, Woods was surprised by a particular question from a journalist. The journalist suggested that Woods faced little to no serious opposition and asked [via ASAP Sports]:

“Are you amazed by the lack of serious opposition today, and how do you explain that?”

A surprised Tiger Woods replied:

“What were you watching? Phil played great.”

Still unconvinced, the journalist pressed further:

“Still, no one got you.”

To this, Tiger Woods backed Phil Mickelson, who finished second and said:

“There's only going to be one winner. But Phil played just a fantastic round of golf. He just made a couple of mistakes at the end. But anything could have happened—this is a U.S. Open. We've seen this happen before. Last year, for instance. This golf course was set up so difficult. You make one mistake here and there, you're paying a price. And Phil made a mistake at the end, and so did I. I made a few mistakes, as well. But I was able to hang in there throughout the middle part of the round to give myself a cushion.”

Tiger Woods was right as it was just one mistake by Phil Mickelson that caused him to finish the runner-up at the 2002 U.S. Open, a title that is still beyond his reach even after almost 23 years.

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How Tiger Woods won the 2002 US Open over Phil Mickelson

Tiger Woods, then World No. 1, entered the final day of the 2002 US Open with a four-stroke lead over Spain’s Sergio Garcia. However, he made two bogeys on his first two holes, allowing Phil Mickelson to become the real threat—not Garcia.

Mickelson, celebrating his 32nd birthday, started strong with a birdie on the first hole, closing the gap to just three strokes before the play was interrupted due to weather. After a 49-minute delay, Mickelson remained focused and birdied the par-5 13th, bringing him within two strokes of Woods.

Excitement was building, but it was short-lived as Mickelson bogeyed the 16th hole—the very mistake Tiger Woods referenced in his press conference. Woods then secured his victory with a birdie on the 18th hole, winning the U.S. Open trophy.

The 2002 U.S. Open gave Woods the first two legs of the Grand Slam, making him the first golfer since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to achieve this feat. This was his second U.S. Open title, having previously won in 2000. After this, he would win the tournament only once more, in 2008.

On the other hand, Phil Mickelson has never won the US Open title, having finished runners-up six times.