Just because there’s not a lot of PGA action right now, as the leading golf organization makes preparations to get back to business, doesn’t mean golf fans have been left out in the cold. There have been a number of golfing events held recently to give some players a chance to stay limber, and an upcoming charity match will find two of the best golfers in the world teeing off with two of the best football players in the world. Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning will take on Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady this month, and oddsmakers have the Woods/Manning team as the clear favorites to take down the contest.
The Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida will host The Match: Champions for Charity event on May 24, with tee-time set for 3 PM Eastern Time (ET). The prize is $10 million, which is being donated by WarnerMedia and the athletes, and which will be handed out to a number of different organizations that have been working tirelessly during the coronavirus pandemic. Side bets during the event will also be collected, and earnings from those bets will also go to charity.
Currently, the Woods/Manning due is getting -220 odds to win, while Mickelson and Brady are looking at +170. Part of the reason for the preference is Manning’s handicap, which is officially listed at 6.4, compared to Brady’s 8.1. However, that’s not the only reason. The Medalist is in Woods’ back yard, giving him a “comfort” advantage since he plays on the course when he’s at home.
The first nine holes will be played in four-ball format, meaning the lowest score on each hole is the only one that is counted. The back nine will use a modified alternate shot format, with the team members rotating their shots as they move along the greens. This might be an opportunity for Mickelson to pull ahead as the underdog since he has experience against Woods in playoff matches.
Brady, who recently jumped ship from the New England Patriots in the NFL to quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Florida, could consider the Hobe Sound golf course a local course, as well, but he is still getting used to the Sunshine State. After switching to the Bucs, he signed up for a membership at the exclusive Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, which is also relatively close – by about 30 minutes – to the Hobe Sound action.
That course is preparing for its own charity tournament this month. A skins game dubbed the “TaylorMade Driving Relief” will pit Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolf at the Seminole Golf Club on May 17. Tee-off is at 2 PM ET, and the event is also designed to raise money for coronavirus relief. $3 million is being donated by the UnitedHealth Group, destined for the CBD Foundation and the American Nurses Foundation. McIlroy, ranked first among pro golfers, and Johnson, in fifth, are getting -220, while Fowler, 27th, and Wolff, 110th, look at +190.
