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Tiger, Lefty stoked to be teeing off together at Players

Andrew Redington / Getty Images Sport / Getty

For the first time in 17 years, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will be playing partners for The Players Championship, providing golf enthusiasts a rare glimpse at two of the best golfers of this generation competing in a tournament side by side.

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However, fans aren't the only ones looking forward to Thursday's opening round: "We don't get to do it very often," Woods said, according to ESPN's Bob Harig. "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 - 1, 2, 3, we're out together (at the U.S. Open, where they were grouped according to the world rankings) - and that was a blast for both of us. 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.''

The last time Lefty and Tiger played together in a tournament was during the first and second rounds of the 2014 PGA Championship where Mickelson finished second and Woods missed the cut.

This year, both Tiger and Phil are looking forward to the unique opportunity.

"I love it. I mean, I love the chance ... we're going to have a lot of fun," Mickelson said.

First-round action gets going Thursday morning from the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in North Florida.

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