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Charles Barkley says one golfer he’s played with is more talented than Tiger Woods

Originally posted on HITC | By James Shearman | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 6:06 AM ET

Charles Barkley was one of the biggest names in basketball during the late ’80s and early ’90s, but his love for golf is just as strong.

Barkley has had the chance to play on some top courses and with many of the game’s biggest names. He’s even shared a round with Tiger Woods more than once.

But Barkley doesn’t believe Woods is the most naturally gifted player he’s ever watched. So who does he think holds that title?

Charles Barkley names more talented player than Tiger Woods

Barkley told former PGA Tour pro Smylie Kaufman that he has played golf with Woods about 20 times.

Even though he admired what Woods could do, Barkley believes there is another golfer with even more natural ability.

“Tiger is the best player,” said the NBA legend. “I have played with him probably 15 to 20 times. He is the best. He always played great. It was amazing.

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“The most talented golfer I ever played with was Phil Mickelson. There is nobody who has ever played golf who has had more talent than Phil Mickelson.

“Tiger is the hardest-working golfer I have ever seen. I would call him sometime in the morning, and he was hitting balls, and I would be like I will call you back later.

“Five hours later, I would call him back, and he was still hitting balls. I was like damn, you should be hitting balls for an hour or two, max!”

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“Tiger is the best golfer I have ever seen, but the most talented golfer I have ever been around is Phil. He was incredible.”

Barkley’s take goes against what most people think when comparing Woods and Mickelson – but anyone who watched Mickelson during his prime wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand.

How the careers of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson measure up

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will go down as two of the game’s greats, but there’s no real argument over who had the better career.

Woods picked up 82 PGA Tour wins and 15 major titles across his time at the top, and only Jack Nicklaus is in the conversation when it comes to who sits above him.

Statistic	Tiger Woods	Phil Mickelson
PGA Tour wins	82	45
Major wins	15	6
Weeks at number one	682	0
PGA Tour earnings	$120,999,166	$96,727,968

Mickelson fits into that group with Rory McIlroy, Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo – players who dominated for stretches but didn’t quite reach the same heights over a full career.

He never hit number one in the world rankings, but that had everything to do with Tiger holding onto that spot for so long during Mickelson’s prime years.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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