Tale of the tape: How Tiger, Phil stack up for The Match

The stage is set for two of the greatest golfers ever to go head to head for the first time in their careers on Friday. On paper, Tiger Woods has the advantage over Phil Mickelson at Shadow Creek Golf Course with his 80 career PGA Tour titles and 14 major titles, but given the competition's unique setting, the matchup is closer than it may appear.

Here's a look at their 2018 strokes-gained statistics as well as some of their career numbers:

Let's take a deeper dive into how the two players stack up.

Off the tee

Despite Woods' troubles off the tee, Mickelson was even worse with the big stick in 2018. Lefty ranked 189th out of 193 qualified golfers in driving accuracy while averaging slightly over 300 yards. Woods, on the other hand, tightened things up with his driver as the year went along, producing strong performances in his final four events.

The 7,560-yard Shadow Creek Golf Course demands straight distance, as plenty of trouble lurks for sprayers of the golf ball. Given his recent ability to hit it much farther and straighter than Mickelson, Woods has the clear edge with the driver.

Advantage: Woods

Iron play

Regardless of how well Mickelson hit his irons this past year, Woods remains the best iron player of all time. Tiger ranked third on Tour in strokes gained on approach shots in his first season back from injury and it was easily the most consistent area of his game in 2018.

Phil's only chance to outclass his opponent on approach shots is if Woods struggles to find exact yardages early. But if Big Cat is on with his irons, Lefty will face an uphill battle.

Advantage: Woods

Short game

If both golfers play well, their short games should become a non-factor. However, Mickelson's scrambling ability is among the best ever. Woods is no slouch with a wedge, but if he's consistently missing greens throughout the round, he won't be the one winning $9 million.

Though Lefty's short game won't win the match on its own, if he finds himself in some tricky situations - and he likely will - his ability to grind out a couple match-saving pars could significantly sway the momentum in his favor.

Advantage: Mickelson

Putting

Putting can dramatically impact results over a short 18-hole stretch. Tiger and Phil can get equally hot with the flatstick, so consistency determines who's got the upper hand. Lefty strung together 13 straight tournaments with positive strokes gained on the greens in 2018, whereas Tiger's best stretch was only five.

Mickelson's coming off one of his best putting seasons, while Tiger's tinkering with his putter was a major story during the summer. If one of these golfers steals a few holes by dropping 30-foot birdie putts or doesn't give a hole away by missing a 5-footer, it'll be Lefty.

Advantage: Mickelson

Match-play history

Tiger owns an incredible 50-17-2 match-play record, including three WGC-Match Play wins, while Mickelson's posted a decent 33-25-4 record in singles match play.

Although all of Tiger's success in this format happened under completely different circumstances (without microphones, pay-per-view production, the whopping $9 million, etc.), he's got the right game and mindset to thrive in a one-on-one setting.

Advantage: Woods

Extracurriculars

The Match will be far from a regular Tour event. Having the players mic'd-up with no commercial breaks should create the perfect environment for Mickelson - a natural showman who always has something witty to say, especially when he knows the camera is on him. In contrast, Tiger's serious, almost robotic demeanor helped make him the most dominant and feared golfer of all time.

With Woods forced into the unnatural situation of constantly having to interact with either his caddie, Mickelson, the broadcast team, or anyone else on the Shadow Creek grounds, Phil has a leg up in this made-for-TV match before it even starts.

Advantage: Mickelson

Putting aside their substandard Ryder Cup appearances, there's no doubt Tiger is playing better of late. However, in an 18-hole match on a different stage that's new to both players, anything can - and probably will - happen.