Connect with us

News

The Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson $10 million match is set for Thanksgiving weekend

Published

on

Just a day after Tiger Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, told ESPN “we are closer than we have been” to finalizing the $10 million winner-take-all money match between his client and Phil Mickelson, it looks like the deal is done.

According to ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, Tiger and Phil will square off at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas either Friday (Nov. 23) or Saturday (Nov. 24) of Thanksgiving weekend.

Woods and Mickelson played a nine-hole practice round Wednesday at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Mickelson floated the idea of the match at The Players in May.

“The excitement that’s been going on around here, it gets me thinking: Why don’t we just bypass all the ancillary stuff of a tournament and just go head-to-head and just have kind of a high-stakes, winner-take-all match…Now, I don’t know if he wants a piece of me, but I just think it would be something that would be really fun for us to do, and I think there would be a lot of interest in it if we just went straight to the final round.”

Perhaps surprisingly/why the heck not, Woods responded with, “I’m definitely not against that. We’ll play for whatever makes him uncomfortable.”

With respect to just how uncomfortable, the pair will be competing for roughly one quarter of their annual pay. According to Forbes, Woods pocketed $43.3 million in on/off course earnings in 2018. Mickelson banked $41.3 million.

With everything falling into place, the only question now is who’s your money on, WRXers?

Your Reaction?
  • 254
  • LEGIT14
  • WOW19
  • LOL13
  • IDHT12
  • FLOP14
  • OB7
  • SHANK88

GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief

39 Comments

39 Comments

  1. RocketBall

    Sep 17, 2018 at 1:30 am

    FANTASTIC idea. I’ll definitely watch it on PPV. My money is on Tiger. I say he smokes Phil 4 and 3.

  2. Bank

    Aug 21, 2018 at 8:26 am

    this match is about 10 years too late. Lord who cares. a lot less than 10 years ago. I’m a decade older than these guys and I dont even want to see them. these guys dont need 10 million so its borderline aggravating. Theres nothing in this of interest. Make it a carry over skins game at least. An 8 million dollar hole i could watch- for a minute or two. As long as I had about 3 other screens going with actual entertainment. Match play is excruciatingly slow.

    • Speedy

      Aug 21, 2018 at 1:45 pm

      Right on, Bank. I’ll have no problem finding something else to do.

  3. Tom

    Aug 10, 2018 at 4:21 pm

    It would be great if they had a TV channel that just showed and talked about Tiger 24/7….oh, they already do, but they call it the Golf Channel.

  4. Sean

    Aug 8, 2018 at 7:50 pm

    This is the solution to the Tiger vs. Phil match:
    http://www.therivalroast.com

  5. Alan

    Aug 4, 2018 at 4:04 pm

    Bunch of bitter people making the negative comments today. Don’t like it don’t watch.
    I’m sure you would rather hang out with drunk Uncle Ed Thanksgiving weekend.

  6. Dixie doc

    Aug 3, 2018 at 10:57 pm

    I hope there’s a football game on that day. At least those teams will be playing for something.

  7. Liberty Apples

    Aug 3, 2018 at 9:36 pm

    Does anyone really give a (fill in the blank)?

  8. Dave

    Aug 3, 2018 at 9:23 pm

    ” Really ” you go girls.

  9. Steve M

    Aug 3, 2018 at 5:54 pm

    Not only are they not putting up any of their own money I bet they both ask for an appearance fee, so it won’t even be winner takes all

  10. Tom

    Aug 3, 2018 at 5:27 pm

    Both from California how about donating that 10 million to California Public Golf courses so we will still have a few in 2019….

  11. Jim McPherson

    Aug 3, 2018 at 3:13 pm

    I bet DJ would put up $10M of his own money to join in and make it a $20M winner take all.

    But as the winners prize isn’t coming from either of them, it is meaningless and will suck. There will be no fight in it. My guess is it will be staged so it comes down to the wire, probably back and forth throughout the round and decided on the final hole. Bet on that!

  12. Dtrain

    Aug 3, 2018 at 2:03 pm

    So even if Tiger loses it will be far from the worst Thanksgiving he’s had.

  13. Regis

    Aug 3, 2018 at 1:21 pm

    As I sit here now I can say “No way I’ll watch it”. But I probably will. For how long? This will be hyperhyped like Riggs/King. My problem (if I do watch) is Who to root for (or more properly against). I can’t stand either of them. Like to see a prop bet. Over/under on photos of Tiger with his kids or Phil with lemonade stands

  14. Curt

    Aug 3, 2018 at 12:24 pm

    It means absolute nothing if its NOT their own money to lose. I could care less about two guys playing for OPM.

    • Bob

      Aug 3, 2018 at 1:36 pm

      Totally agree

    • Roy

      Aug 3, 2018 at 3:14 pm

      But a bunch of people playing for OPM is interesting?? Or is the only event you watch all year the US Am??

  15. Keith

    Aug 3, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    I live about 400 yards north of Shadow Creek in LV so I am intrigued. I wonder if it will be open to the public.

  16. Steve Cantwell

    Aug 3, 2018 at 11:35 am

    I’d bet ( but not with my own money, of course) that this event will prove to be an uninspiring flop. Not to mention, horrible television as there will be too many commercials in between shots.

  17. G what

    Aug 3, 2018 at 12:29 am

    Make it $10MM if their own money

  18. MT

    Aug 2, 2018 at 11:06 pm

    All the sticks in the mud complaining about this. Let them play and I for one will be watching. Hope the 10 million goes to a great charity like St Jude’s.

  19. Waaa

    Aug 2, 2018 at 6:04 pm

    Most of the proceeds are going to charity.

  20. ComeonPhil

    Aug 2, 2018 at 3:17 pm

    Usually when Phil fires off his mouth he misses the cut. It amazes me that Tiger with all his injuries and surgeries and limited playing time will still shoot lower scores than Phil. What amazes me about Phil is how inconsistent he is…..It is also surprising how many times Phil has choked despite having so many victories. I think that if you add just his second place finishes to his number of major victories he would have 15 majors. It is not only amazing that Phil is first in putting on tour this year, but also that he has only one win with that great putting and that when I watch him putt his putting still looks like it sucks.

  21. Jason A

    Aug 2, 2018 at 2:03 pm

    bunch of salty old people in this comment area. i think this is great and is going to create a lot of buzz for golf.

  22. Jamie

    Aug 2, 2018 at 2:00 pm

    It’s all freshly printed toilet paper backed by nothing but the cannon-fodder military.

  23. Tyler Durden

    Aug 2, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    Great, an addict and a cheat playing for other people money. Must see tv.

  24. Tartan Golf Travel

    Aug 2, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    They should have added 2 more players and brought back the old skins game. This sounds boring, May be would have been interesting when they were the best in the world but 2 guys head to head will make for boring golf.

  25. toyzrx

    Aug 2, 2018 at 12:53 pm

    Lame. There are kids in many cities who don’t have food to eat and books to read.

    • Erik

      Aug 2, 2018 at 1:44 pm

      So feed them and house them

    • DANA POINT

      Aug 3, 2018 at 2:28 am

      Good point. We should shut down the entertainment and sports industries entirely until we rectify that situation. No movies, no music, no superbowls and playoffs…just stop it all until no one is hungry, because they’re obviously linked.

  26. Moses

    Aug 2, 2018 at 12:17 pm

    Silly Season is back. Can we revive the Skins Game too.

  27. dat

    Aug 2, 2018 at 11:28 am

    Who is bankrolling this?

    • Erik

      Aug 2, 2018 at 1:45 pm

      Well with Phil’s love of gambling , I would imagine they are

      • ~j~

        Aug 2, 2018 at 6:50 pm

        Yeah right. Neither is putting up a dime that i know of. Lame. Anyone can wager with other people’s money. Let’s see Phil grip it and rip it with HIS $10mil on the line.

  28. Kevin

    Aug 2, 2018 at 11:23 am

    unless they put their own money on the line, this is just a friendly game with the chance to win a lot of money. its like putting a bunch of money on black at the roulette table without having to actually bet any of your own money

    • PT

      Aug 2, 2018 at 12:26 pm

      No, it isn’t. Clearly.

    • Michael

      Aug 2, 2018 at 12:29 pm

      Agree. When I first heard this idea, I thought that’s what it would be, a high stakes gambling round on TV, and I was very excited. There’s zero drama unless they put up their own money. Bogus. I’m not interested.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Published

on

GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.

As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.

Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying about our photos from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in the forums.

 

Your Reaction?
  • 4
  • LEGIT2
  • WOW1
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

News

Morning 9: Tiger’s TGL teammates | Woosnam’s criticism of Cantlay | Rory’s return to tour policy board

Published

on

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour heads to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic.

1. 15-year-old finishes top 20 on KFT

Jay Coffin for Golf Digest…”During a week when most eyes were on Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda, the 15-year-old lefty finished off an incredible week with a five-under 66 in the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic at Lakewood Ranch in Florida.”

  • “After opening with 68-66-70, Russell finished at 14-under-par total to tie for 20th place. The finish in which he jumped 28 positions on the leaderboard on the final day, gives him an exemption into next week’s Veritex Bank Championship at Rangers Park in Arlington, Texas. He’s the youngest player to finish inside the top 20 on the PGA of Korn Ferry tours, according to records that go back to 1983.”
Full piece.

2. Understandably, Nelly WDs

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”Nelly Korda’s bid for a record-setting sixth consecutive win will have to wait a few weeks.”

  • “A day after capturing the Chevron Championship during a marathon final round in Houston, Korda announced on social media that she was withdrawing from this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship.”
  • “It was not an easy decision,” she wrote. “After the unbelievable week at the Chevron and grinding through the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”
Full piece.

3. Scheffler’s impressive No. 1 feat

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”After Scheffler’s victory Monday morning at the RBC Heritage, Scheffler upped his points average to 15.016 and increased his advantage in the Official World Golf Ranking over No. 2 Rory McIlroy to more than double McIlroy’s 7.365 average, meaning Scheffler is ranked further ahead of No. 2 than No. 2 is ahead of the last-ranked player.”

  • “The last time a No. 1 player had a greater points average was Woods, who was at 15.4564 on Dec. 6, 2009. But Woods was less than seven average points ahead of No. 2 Phil Mickelson at the time. Earlier that year, Woods was 7.735 ahead of Mickelson, which is the last time the gap between Nos. 1 and 2 was greater than Scheffler’s current 7.651 advantage.”
Full piece.

4. Zurich field notes

PGATour.com’s Adam Stanley…”Rory McIlroy will make his tournament debut alongside good pal, Ryder Cup teammate, and Irishman Shane Lowry – a duo that was firmed up during a celebratory lunch after the Ryder Cup last fall… Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will try to reprise their 2022 win here. Cantlay and Schauffele have both the Foursomes and Four-ball scoring records at this event… Davis Riley and Nick Hardy will defend their 2023 title. No team has gone back-to-back… Three sets of brothers (and two sets of twins!) will play together with twins Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard and Parker and Pierceson Coody in the field along with Alex and Matt Fitzpatrick. Alex Fitzpatrick and Rasmus Højgaard are sponsor invites…”

  • “Billy Horschel, who won last week at the Corales Puntacana Championship, will be without his previous partner Sam Burns, as Burns and his wife are expecting their first child any day. Horschel will instead be paired with fellow University of Florida alum Tyson Alexander. Horschel has won the Zurich Classic when it was both an individual and team event… Other notable pairings include Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris, and Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin. The Canadian duo finished runner-up a year ago and would like nothing more than to show Presidents Cup International Team captain Mike Weir how well they play together… Steve Stricker will play his second TOUR event this season (after earning his way into THE PLAYERS Championship), teaming up with Matt Kuchar.”
Full piece.

5. Tiger’s teammates

Field Level Media report…”Tiger Woods announced Monday that Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner have joined his Jupiter Links GC TGL team.”

  • “The virtual golf league headed by Woods and Rory McIlroy will begin its inaugural season next January. Woods also unveiled the team’s logo.”
  • “I have already shared my excitement and optimism for TGL as a league and product,” said Woods. “Now that we have finalized our roster with a team of world-class golfers, I am even more confident that this group will proudly represent the Jupiter (Fla.) area and connect with our fans for years to come.”
Full piece.

6. Woosnam questions Cantlay’s decision

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After the horn sounded to suspend play due to darkness, Cantlay, who’s ball was in the fairway on the 18th hole, had a decision to make. With over 200 yards into the green and extreme winds working against the shot, conventional wisdom would be to wait until Monday morning to hit the shot.”

  • “On the other hand, if he could finish the hole, he may just want to get the event over with so he could get out of Hilton Head.”
  • “Curiously, Cantlay chose neither of those options. After hitting 3-wood into the green, and still coming up short, the former FedEx Cup champion chose to mark his ball and chip and putt on Monday morning.”
  • “Ian Woosnam, who was watching from home, took to X to give his thoughts on Cantlay’s decision making.”
  • “Cantlay would end up getting up and down for par when play resumed at 8:00 am Monday morning.”
Full piece.

7. JT on Scheffler’s “weird” equipment choice

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After Justin Thomas’ third round of the RBC Heritage, the two-time major champion went in the broadcast booth alongside the CBS crew.”

  • “While Thomas was watching Scottie Scheffler play on the back nine of his third round, he wondered aloud why Scottie uses high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Does anybody else think it’s weird that Scottie uses high numbers? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an elite player use high-numbered golf balls.”
  • “Amanda Balionis who was on the grounds chimed in, reporting that analyst Dottie Pepper had wondered the same thing earlier that day.”
  • “I’ve been going about this wrong my whole life,” Thomas jokingly said.
Full piece.

8. Rory to rejoin PGA Tour policy board

Mark Schlabach for ESPN…”Four-time major championship winner Rory McIlroy is poised to return to the PGA Tour’s policy board, pending a vote by the board, which could come as early as this week, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.”

  • “One of the PGA Tour’s most vocal supporters during its three-year battle with LIV Golf, McIlroy abruptly resigned as a player director on the tour’s influential policy board in November.”
  • “He is expected to replace policy board player director Webb Simpson, who intends to step away before his two-year term expires in 2025.”
Full piece.

9. Weir names Presidents Cup assistants

PGA Tour report…”International Team Captain Mike Weir announced Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas as captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will be played at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 24-29.

Full piece.
Your Reaction?
  • 4
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW1
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK1

Continue Reading

News

Tour Rundown: Six-pack of tourneys follows Masters

Published

on

Brazil and Texas were kindred souls this week, at least when it came to weather. Both regions experienced torrential delays, and three tournaments were held up. The LPGA, PGA Tour Americas, and PGA Tour Champions were compelled to reduce play or work extra holes into Sunday. As if that weren’t enough, South Carolina and the PGA Tour fell victim to nature’s wrath, with lightning postponing the conclusion of the event to Monday.

The year’s first women’s major championship was celebrated in Texas. The Chevron is gaining a bit of tradition in its second year after relocation. This year’s event culminated in the continued coronation of the game’s current best. The Korn Ferry Tour saw a top-twenty performance from a 15-year old amateur, while the second event of the week on the big tour found a winner in the Dominican Republic. Six events is more than a handful, so let’s get right to it, with this week’s (delayed) Tour Rundown.

LPGA @ Chevron Championship: Korda corrals second major title

The winter of 2022-2023 seems so distant for current Nelly Korda. A mysterious ailment sapped all of her energy, just as the world appeared to have finally emerged from the pandemic. We never quite secured the complete information that we desired, but no one can say that any of us deserved to know more than Nelly wished to share. One thing is for certain: Nelly Korda has returned to top form, and the world number one golfer is at least one level above anyone else on tour.

Korda began her 2024 campaign with a January victory in the Drive One Championship. In her next start, in March, she continued her assault on the record books, with a win at the Se Ri Pak. She won again the following week, at the Ford, then defeated Leona Maguire in the final match at the T-Mobile Match Play, for a fourth consecutive victory. Would the increased hype around a major championship have an impact on her game? Well, no.

Korda began play at the Chevron Championship with a score of 68. She trailed Lauren Coughlin by two after 18 holes, but caught her with a second-round 69. Coughlin would ultimately tie for third spot with Brooke Henderson. Henderson played with Korda on day four, but the middle third of the round was her undoing. Making a late move was Maja Stark. House Stark closed with birdies at 17 and 18 to reach 11 under par. Both Korda and Strak played the final three days in identical numbers: 69 each day.

Korda held a firm hand on the tournament over the course of the final day. She stood minus-four for the round through ten holes, before a bit of sloppy play made things competitive again. Bogeys at 11 and 15 opened the door a wee bit for Stark. Korda was equal to the test, however, and closed stylishly with birdie at 18.

PGA Tour 1 @ RBC: Scottie, so hottie!

Nelly isn’t the only golfer on fire, although Scottie Scheffler still has a ways to go to match her. Scheffler proved this week that he has a game for all courses. After winning comfortably at lengthy Augusta National, Scheffler shifted gears and game to the wee Sea Pines course, and won again. That’s two weeks in a row for the man from New Jersey/Texas, so let’s learn how he did it.

Scheffler totaled 69 on day one, and found himself six shots behind leader J.T. Poston. Scheffler revealed that his teacher, Randy Smith, would tell him that he didn’t need to be the best 15 year-old; just the best 25 year-old. It was easy, then, to play the long game and consider all 72 holes, instead of just 18. Scheffler improved to 65 on Friday, and then went even lower on Saturday. His 63 moved him to the top of the board, and caused the golfverse to wonder if Scheffler would win for a second consecutive week.

Sunday saw all the chasers fall away. Scores between 70 and 72 from Patrick Rodgers, Collin Morikawa, and Sepp Straka meant that others would need to seize the day, if Scheffler were to do more than coast. Wyndham Clark and Justin Thomas each moved inside the top five with fourth-round 65s, but no one ever got close enough to the world number one. The win was Scheffler’s 10th on tour, and made him the betting favorite for next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.

PGA Tour 2 @ Corales Puntacana: Baton Boy claims 8th Tour triumph

If you’ve ever seen Billy Horschel toss a club, you know that he doesn’t do so in anger. More likely is a calculated, soaring arc, paired with a look of fractured disbelief, followed by a quick catch of the cudgel. Ergo, Baton Boy. This week on the island of Hispaniola, the native of Grant, Florida, outworked and outhustled everyone else on Sunday. Horschel gathered seven birdies and an eagle, on the way to a 63 and a 23-under par total.

The former Florida Gator zipped past the four golfers in front of him, and left the remaining field in the rear-view mirror. Horschel’s round was two shots better than anyone else, and moved him two shots ahead of third-round leader Wesley Bryan. One of the famed Bryan Brothers, Wes closed with birdie at the last to post a 68 that would have won the week on any other day.

Korn Ferry Tour @ LeCom Suncoast: It’s Widing in extra holes

Miles Russell probably won’t have to serve detention for ditching class on Thursday and Friday. The high school freshman made his KFT debut, survived the 36-hole cut, and toyed with a top-ten finish. He ultimately tied for 20th at 14-under par, six shots behind the three co-leaders. My guess is that Epstein’s Mom will write him a note, and he’ll get a pass. By finishing top-25, Russell earned a spot in next week’s event. Yikes!

Back to the top of the board. Patrick Cover, Steven Fisk, and Tim Widing all found their way to the magic number of -20. Fisk made birdie at the last, after bogeys at 16 and 17. Cover had three bogeys on the back nine, but a birdie at 14 was enough to get him to overtime. Widing was plus-one on the day through four, but played interstellar golf over the final 14. Six birdies moved him from Russell-ville to extra time.

The trio scurried to the 18th tee, where Cover drove into a fairway bunker. He was unable to reach the green with his approach, made bogey, and exited the overtime session. Widing and Fisk returned to the final deck once more, and matters were resolved. Fisk was unable to convert a long par putt, and Widing (pronounced VEE-ding) tapped in for his first KFT title.

PGA Tour Americas @ Brasil Open: Mr. Anderson finds a way

Golf is a funny game. Matthew Anderson held a lead with one round to play. He made six pars on Sunday, and sprinkled the rest of his card with birdies and bogeys. In complete contrast, Ollie Osborne played consistently on the day, posting four birdies and zero bogeys. Connor Godsey was not far off Osborne’s pace, with seven birdies and but two bogeys on the scorecard. So, of course, Matthew Anderson won by a stroke over Osborne and Godsey.

Not how, but how many, is another one of those platitudes that we all learn early on. Despite five bogeys through his first 14 holes, Anderson summoned the defiant grit to make birdie at the 71st and 72nd holes. After making deuce at the penultimat hole, Anderson’s swerving effort at the last looked as if it should miss low, but it had enough pace to stay inside the hole and fall for a closing four at the par-five finisher.

PGA Tour Champions @ Invited Celebrity: Broadhurst stands tall

What do you call a tournament that begins on Friday, takes Saturday off, and finishes on Sunday? Fortunate is one adjective to use. A weather system moved through Texas this weekend, and made a mess of things in Irving. After Thomas Bjorn signed for 64 on day one, rain and all things counter-productive moved through the Las Colinas resort, ensuring that Saturday would be nothing more than a rest day. When Sunday arrived, conditions had improved, and the game was on. Bjorn was unable to preserve his Friday magic, although he did record a 70 for -8. He finished in a third-place tie with Y.E. Yang.

David Toms, the 2001 PGA Championship victor, presented Sunday’s low round, and moved to 10-under par. Toms made one mistake on the day. He lived in the rough on the 9th hole, ultimately making bogey. The rest of the day was immaculate, as seven birdies came his way, resulting in a six-under par 65. Only one golfer was able to surpass Toms, and that was Paul Broadhurst.

Broadhurst nearly matched Toms for daily honors. His mistake came early, with bogey at the second. He bounced back with eagle at the third, and added three more birdies for 66 and 11-under par. Over his first three seasons on the Tour Champions, Broadhurst won five times, including two major titles. His fifth win came in 2018, making this win his first in six years. A long time coming, for sure, but well earned.

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP1
  • OB1
  • SHANK1

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending