AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Barring a change in plans, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are scheduled to play a practice round Tuesday morning at Augusta National in advance of the Masters Tournament.
Fred Couples dropped that bit of information following a practice round with Woods on Monday afternoon that took place over the first nine holes. Thomas Pieters of Belgium is the scheduled fourth player in the group.
"Thomas and I may just sit back and watch," said Couples, 58, the 1992 Masters champion who raved about how good Woods looked.
Woods, 42, a four-time Masters winner, is in the midst of a comeback from spinal fusion surgery and will be playing just his sixth tournament in 2018.
Mickelson, 47, a three-time Masters winner, comes into the tournament having finished in the top 10 in five of his eight tournaments this year, including a victory at the WGC Mexico Championship last month. That was his 43rd career PGA Tour victory and first since the 2013 Open, which occurred just two weeks before Woods won the last of 79 PGA Tour titles.
It is believed that Woods and Mickelson have never played a practice round together at Augusta National.
Mickelson finished third when Woods won the Masters in both 2001 and 2002. Woods tied for fourth when Mickelson won his third Masters in 2010.
The two have been viewed as rivals for most of their careers, although their relationship has improved in recent times, especially as both became involved more directly in the U.S. Ryder Cup effort.