The Match: Champions For Charity Time, TV Channel, Odds, Predictions For Woods/Manning Vs. Mickelson/Brady

Sunday is finally here and with it comes the much-anticipated golf showdown involving Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning taking on Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady. This two-vs.-two clash, known as The Match: Champions for Charity, will be taking place at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida and tees off at 3 p.m. ET. Fans can check out the B/R app beginning at 2 p.m. for pre-match coverage, then can either stay put to live stream the event or swap either TBS, TNT, TruTV or HLN on their television to catch the action.

Oddsmakers are giving the edge to the Tiger-Manning pairing today, installing them as -200 favorites to win the $10 million prize purse, all of which is earmarked for coronavirus relief funds. Mickelson and Brady are currently going off at +175 to pull an upset, betting lines that translate to needing to risk $2 to win $1 on the favorites or net $1.75 for each $1 wagered on the underdogs. It is worth noting that Lefty won the first edition of The Match, a 2018 skins match between him and Woods that netted Mickelson a cool $9 million for his efforts. Woods will be hungry to avenge that defeat and has a handful of advantages in place to assist in that effort, including an immensely tough venue that serves as his home course and a partner in Manning that boasts a handicap nearly two strokes better than Brady.

Fans accustomed to PGA Tour events will want to be aware of the special rules this match has in place. The first nine holes will be played with a four-ball format, which means each player will participate in the first half of this event in a normal fashion and the team will use its lowest score from each hole. The football stars will also get three handicap strokes during this portion, one each on a par 3, par 4 and par 5 hole. On the back nine, The Match will switch over to a modified alternate shot format, meaning each player will tee off before teammates choose the best drive play off the same ball in alternating fashion until the hole is completed. Should there be a tie after 18 holes—which is quite possible given it took four extra holes to decide the head-to-head bout between Tiger and Phil in 2018—the event will continue with the modified alternate shot format using a short hole of 100-125 yards to the 18^th green to determine a victor.

If you are one of the many planning to make a bet on The Match II today, it is worth checking out the pro predictions that Vegas expert Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com sent along. You can find his picks at the end of this article, but first take a look at the complete viewing guide for the event, which includes everything you need to know watch Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning take on Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady.

The Match Viewing Guide

Date: Sunday, May 24

Tee Time: 3 p.m. ET (pre-match coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET)

TV Channels: TNT, TBS, TruTV, HLN

Live Stream: B/R App

Venue: Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida

Rules: The front nine will be played using four-ball (best ball) rules, while the back nine will switch over to a modified alternate shot format.

Betting Line: Woods/Manning (-200, or risk $2 to win $1), Mickelson/Brady (+175 or risk $1 to win $1.75)

Prop Bets: Click here for a complete list of prop bets for The Match II

The Match: Champions For Charity odds and props courtesy of SportsBetting.com

Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning vs. Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady Prediction

While The Match: Champions for Charity won’t have the gravitas and pageantry of a major championship, it is a notable step in the return to normalcy for the sport of golf. Expect the eyes of the sporting world to be tuned in to this event, especially since it involves a pair of legends from the NFL. It is also one of the first notable competitions for sports bettors to wager on since things began shutting down back in mid-March and books are seeing a huge influx of interest due to this. Despite the deluge of money, the betting lines have held relatively stable since opening. The public has largely sided with the Woods-Manning pairing at 2-1 odds, although some last-minute wagers are forcing that line up to -225 at some books. Underdog backers will want to shop around, as Mickelson-Brady are ranging anywhere from +165 up to +190 depending on where you look.

Both Tiger and Phil are all-time great golfers, but it is impossible to deny that Woods is playing far better than his longtime rival at this juncture. He ended an agonizing 11-year major drought at the 2019 Masters, picking up his fifth green jacket and 15^th major title in the process. Mickelson, a five-time major winner, has not captured one since the 2013 Open Championship, and was not exactly thought of as a legitimate contender to snap that streak going into the 2020 season. Lefty was given odds of approximately 50-1 to win at Augusta this year before it was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, a far cry from Woods at 14-1 to defend his title. Neither golfer was exactly playing at their peak before the PGA Tour shut down, however, with Woods finishing last amongst the participants to make the cut at the Genesis Invitational back in mid-February and subsequently withdrew from both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship. Mickelson missed the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational cuts and did not look likely to make it to the weekend at the Players either before the event was cancelled. Still, Woods has a more recent victory—the ZOZO Championship in October—than his counterpart, who last won in February 2019 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and has a higher ceiling going into The Match II.

Woods has largely outperformed Mickelson during his career, but Manning cannot say the same about his rivalry with Brady. The two NFL stars squared off 17 times, with Brady and his New England Patriots winning 11 of those contests against Manning’s Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. Manning does hold a slight lead in postseason matchups, however, winning three of the five head-to-head playoff clashes, including an all-important AFC Championship bout in 2016 that launched Manning to his second Super Bowl victory that would close out a Hall of Fame career. Because Peyton, now 44 years old, retired following that title five years, he has had more time to focus on his golf game without the burden of a rigorous NFL schedule.

Manning now owns a 6.4 handicap, nearly two strokes ahead of Brady—who just signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and preparing for his 21^st season at the age of 42—at 8.1. The Match: Champions for Charity will mark the third time since 2018 that Woods and Manning will be partnered up together at a notable event, following up on pro-am performances leading up to The Memorial in 2018 and 2019. Mickelson and Brady do not have the type of rapport that comes with pairing up in a pro-am, but Lefty is clearly familiar with what his partner brings to the table as a golfer, telling the New York Post:

“Tom’s an 8 handicap, and he has parts of his game that are stronger than that and parts of his game that are weaker. He’s a really good putter, he’s a really good short-iron player and he hits the ball a long way. But, like me, he has a tendency to hit a few wayward drives, so that’ll be a challenge for us to not give away holes to Tiger and Peyton — especially in the alternate-shot format.”

Although Mickelson admitted his side may have some trouble on the back nine during The Match II, Lefty and Brady may have an advantage specific to the front nine during this event. Because of the four-ball format being used for those holes, Lefty will be able to play aggressively and take plenty of risks as he navigates through the dangerous challenges that Medalist Golf Club presents. If Brady avoids any critical mistakes and plays it safe on holes where Mickelson miscalculates, this high-risk style—which Lefty enjoys and often thrives utilizing—could end up netting the duo some big wins to start the day.

Patrick Everson tweeted that sharps are hammering the “hole No. 18 or later to be the finishing one” prop, indicating they feel The Match II will be a tightly contested one:

Mickelson and Brady could make some early noise today, but the favorites ultimately have too many advantages on their side for this to get away from them. Price recommends going with the Woods-Manning combo, citing their home-field advantage, experience playing together and steady style that will ultimately result in The Match: Champions for Charity going chalk. Expect a back-and-forth battle to start things off, but Tiger and Peyton will pull away at the end and claim the $10 million prize for their charities.

The Match Pro Pick: Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning (-200)