Mickelson proposes high stakes head-to-head match with Tiger

Since he announced himself to the PGA Tour with a win as an amateur in 1991, Phil Mickelson has been one of the most entertaining players, and personalities, in the sport of golf.

Mickelson's game is in fine form heading into this week's Players Championship, an event where he will be paired with longtime rival Tiger Woods for the first two rounds.

The 47-year-old touched on that during his press availability Tuesday, taking the opportunity to play to the crowd and pitch an idea for him and Woods.

"Why don't we just bypass all the ancillary stuff of a tournament and just go head-to-head and just have a high stakes, winner-take-all match," Mickelson joked to reporters. "Now, I don't know if he wants a piece of me, but I just think it would be something that would be really fun for us to do and I think there would be a lot of interest in it if we just went straight to the final round."

Mickelson is no stranger to money games, as his practice round matches have become the stuff of legend around the PGA Tour, with Shane Ryan providing some context in a brilliant piece for ESPN back in 2015.

Since Tiger stepped on the scene in 1996, he and Mickelson have been the top two players in the world, and a once somewhat frosty relationship has blossomed into a friendship as the two continue to compete over 20 years later.

A head-to-head high stakes match between the two would be a massive ratings draw, but for now, the opening two rounds at The PLAYERS will have to do.