Tiger Woods-Masters news: A practice round with Phil Mickelson

Say this about the 2018 Masters: It's Tigers Woods' tournament, everyone else is just playing along.

That's not to say Woods is going to win the year's first Grand Slam (there have been plenty of arguments, pro and con, on that front), but the news cycle is all Tiger all the time in August, Ga.

Here are some of the latest notable stories:

— According to Fred Couples (via ESPN.com), Woods and longtime rival Phil Mickelson will tee it up Tuesday with Couples and Thomas Pieters for a practice round.

Assessing the Tuesday morning round, Couples said: "I think Thomas and I will just sit back and watch."

If Woods and Mickelson are playing together Tuesday (and they are, reportedly set to go off the No. 10 tee at 8:30 a.m. ET), then maybe they were right when they claimed at last year's Presidents Cup that they really do like one another, despite media reports to the contrary.

— About that Tuesday Mickelson-Woods group? It's going to draw a monster gallery at Augusta National — just like Monday, when he wasn't paired with Mickelson. A massive gallery quickly formed around the first hole – and then, after Woods striped his tee ball down the middle of the fairway, moved in lockstep with him, Couples and Justin Thomas for, what some in the media called, one of the most electric nine-hole practice rounds ever played ahead of the Masters. (Case in point: Behind the sixth green, the gallery reportedly was 25 deep.)

— Speaking of Couples, after playing nine with Woods, the '92 Masters winner walked away with this assessment (via USA Today): “He’s played a few tournaments and played well in them and I think the people are excited to see him. He hit a few drives that were well worth watching, whether you paid for it or you’re in the tournament like me. Tiger’s hitting it a mile and hitting it very straight, and I think he’ll be a factor this week. I don’t know why he wouldn’t be.”

— Woods' first official press conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET Tuesday. That's just one of five key things the Masters itself says to look for on Tuesday (pssst, we'll also find out what 2017 winner Sergio Garcia has on the menu for the champions dinner).

— And a final thought before Tuesday's play begins: He's Tiger Freaking Woods.