Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson Joined By Brady, Manning For Second Installment Of ‘The Match’

A year and a half after their much-hyped, made-for-TV showdown and a $9 million winner-take-all purse, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are set to meet in the second iteration of The Match. This time around, the two golf icons will be joined by two of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history — Tom Brady and Peyton Manning — in the two-on-two live competition.

And this time, all donations and fundraising connected to the event will go to COVID-19 relief efforts.

The competition is officially called The Match: Champions for Charity and will be broadcast live on TNT next month, with Woods teaming with Manning and Mickelson partnering with Brady. A specific date and a venue will be announced in the coming weeks, according to Bleacher Report, which is a digital arm of TNT’s parent company, Turner Sports. Organizers of the event are currently reviewing logistics with state/local government and public health officials to ensure the competition meets required safety and health protocols.

Given the dearth of live sports programming amid the coronavirus pandemic, the competition involving four of the most popular personalities in the sports world has the potential to be a ratings bonanza.

And while logistics of the broadcast and the on-site personnel required have to be determined, golf is the perfect sport to conduct such an event in the current environment. The outdoor and wide-open nature of golf is especially conducive to social-distancing practices, as evidenced by the 38 states that allow recreational play amid stay-at-home orders and widespread business shutdowns.

Given that Nevada is one of 12 states that currently have a restriction on golf operations, a return to Shadow Creek in Las Vegas is likely not in the casino cards. When Mickelson and Woods squared off in the first installment of The Match the day after Thanksgiving in November of 2018, the match was tied after 18 holes before Mickelson won on the fourth playoff hole.

This time around, they not only add two future football Hall of Famers who boast a combined seven Super Bowl titles and eight NFL MVP awards between them, but a pair of passionate golfers. Both played in this year’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Manning is a co-owner of Sweetens Cove in Tennessee, a highly-regarded, nine-hole layout that has developed one of the game’s most passionate cult followings. He carries a 6.4 handicap and plays out of The Honors Course, a private Pete Dye-design just north of Chattanooga. Brady, a 8.1 handicap, is a member at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, one of the oldest country clubs in the U.S., and earlier this month reportedly became a member at the ultra-exclusive Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida, after joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Not only could TV ratings be sky high for the second installment of The Match, but chances are it could draw some serious interest from sports bettors. In case you’re wondering, noted oddsmaker Jeff Sherman of the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook has listed Woods and Manning as early -150 favorites for the 18-hole match, meaning a bettor would have to wager $150 to win $100. Sherman opened Mickelson and Brady at +130 (a winning $100 bet would return $130).

The PGA TOUR has been suspended since The Players Championship was suspended on March 12 because of health and safety reasons connected to the coronavirus. The earliest the tour might return, with or without fans in attendance at events, would be June 8 for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.