Advertisement

Can you identify these two world-famous golfers as kids?

All right, this is flat-out awesome. These two kids played for the 1984 World Junior Championship at Torrey Pines. The 15-year-old blond kid won, the 14-year-old placed second. You know 'em both very well. (Hint: the 14-year-old would get his revenge 20 years later.) Photo answer below.

Yep, that's none other than Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson, two of the greatest golfers in history. Let's run down their achievements since that meeting way back in 1984:

• Both are in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

• Both have won four majors; Phil has three Masters wins and one PGA Championship, while Ernie has won the U.S. Open twice and the British Open twice, including earlier this year.

• Ernie has reached the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings; Phil has gone as high as second.

[Related: Sports for the 1 percent: More than just golf]

• They've tangled dozens of times in their careers, battling for the title of second-best golfer of their generation. (You-Know-Who remains No. 1.) Their most notable battle remains the 2004 Masters, where Phil beat Ernie by a single stroke with a dramatic 18th-hole birdie putt.

• They've both achieved wealth beyond measure; Phil has earned $66.4 million on the PGA Tour and far more in endorsements, and he regularly ranks as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Ernie, meanwhile, has earned $44.5 million. Both are extremely active in charitable endeavors.

• Both presumably have hired actual hairstylists.

Think either one of them knows where those trophies are today?

[Visor tip: Steve Eubanks and Africa Golfing Indaba]

Related video content from Yahoo! Sports

Other popular content on the Yahoo! network:
Pat Forde: Notre Dame won't compromise values for wins
Bryce Harper spikes helmet after double play, earns first ejection
Matt Hamill's return to UFC gives him chance to finally realize potential
Grind TV: Chicago aquarium celebrates birth of ultra-cute beluga whale