Tiger Woods to team with Payton Manning in Charity Golf Match

Multi major title winning golfer Tigers Woods is set to team up with 2 time Super Bowl winner Payton Manning for a charity golf match next month. The pair will take on another pair of giants in their respective sports, as they take on 3 time Masters winner, Phil Mickelson, and former New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady. After spending the first 20 seasons of his career with the Patriots, Brady signed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month, aged 42.

The title for the made for TV event is “The Match: Champions for Charity”.

Speculation on the potential date

Though the date and venue haven’t been officially confirmed yet, the rumoured potential date is May 24th. It seems almost certain that the venue will be Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida, where Woods is a member. The made for TV golf match will be aired live on TNT with all proceeds going to charities aiding those worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. While no specific charity has been named yet, Woods has stated that the proceeds are likely to be divvied out among several different organisations.

Tournament officials Bleacher Report are said to be working closely with both the Government and healthcare officials to make sure the event can go ahead and adhere to current social distancing rules in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Woods and Mickelson will most likely need to receive release forms from the PGA Players Advisory Council. This is most probably the last crease to iron out before an official date can be announced.

Previous occurrences 

This won’t be the first time that Woods and Mickelson have taken each other on in a made for TV match. On Thanksgiving back in 2018, Woods went head-to-head with Mickelson in a PPV match that took place in Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. The match was an unofficial PGA Tour event and had a prize purse of $9 million. The pair were tied after 18 holes, with Mickleson eventually beating Woods on the 22nd after the game went to extra holes.

The result of their previous bout has clearly left Woods hungry for revenge and the trash talking has already begun between the pair. Mickleson taunted Woods on Twitter, claiming he must be “feeling the sting of defeat” from their 2018 match. Woods has claimed the public trash talk “won't be as rough as what we have in our text exchange.”

It’s not just the two golf heavyweights who have history between each other though, as their teammates have a more intense and longer standing rivalry. Payton Manning and Tom Brady set the benchmark for NFL quarterbacks in the ‘00s and ‘10s. The pair took on each other 17 times between 2001 and 2016, with Brady holding an 11-6 win record over his rival. Brady also has 6 Super Bowls to Manning’s 2, a fact Brady has used to goad his opponents in the build up to the charity golf match. Brady reportedly sent a message to Manning saying he “might need extra caddies to carry [his] Super Bowls”.