Tiger, Peyton Win Capital One's The Match vs. Phil, Tom 1-Up
May 25, 2020
Fifteen major championships, 82 PGA Tour victories and, now, revenge on Phil Mickelson.
Tiger Woods added another line to his resume Sunday when he and Peyton Manning teamed up to defeat Mickelson and Tom Brady in Capital One's "The Match: Champions for Charity" at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida.
The competition raised tens of millions of dollars for COVID-19 relief and featured a best-ball format on the front nine and a modified alternate-shot format on the back nine where each player teed off before teammates took alternate shots from the selected drive.
Mickelson defeated Woods in the inaugural edition of the event in 2018, but this year's version featured the two legendary quarterbacks and took place on Tiger's home course.
The result was a win for Woods and Manning, although it came down to the final hole thanks to a late push by Mickelson and Brady.
With the friendly banter between the athletes serving as the backdrop, the eventual victors wasted little time seizing momentum with wins on the third, fourth and sixth holes. Woods was his usual self, and Manning impressed on the greens in the early going, but it was Brady's struggles that held back Team Phil out of the gates.
A six-time Super Bowl winner he was not when it came to the links, as he consistently found the water, sand and trees.
It reached a point where his NFL competitors weighed in on social media and Charles Barkley issued a challenge during the Progressive Closest to the Hole Challenge on No. 4:
The roasting of Brady continued as he hit his tee shot on No. 5—which was the Capital One Club Challenge with players using a single club for the entirety of the hole—in the water right after Manning drilled a birdie putt on No. 4 to give his side the hole.
Turns out, everyone should have known the quarterback who directed a 28-3 comeback in the Super Bowl wouldn't remain down for long.
After Brooks Koepka challenged No. 12 to make a par on the front nine, Brady drained a shot from the fairway for a birdie on No. 7. It was the most memorable shot of the entire event, which is quite the accomplishment for Brady considering arguably the greatest golfer in history was in his foursome.
It seemed almost cruel for Brady that, after ripping his pants, he didn't even win the hole and very nearly lost it when Woods' eagle putt went in and out. He at least earned a quip from Woods, who said "TB, welcome to The Match."
Even with Brady's shot, Woods and Manning maintained their three-hole lead heading into the back nine and the modified alternate-shot format.
That breathing room took on additional importance when Mickelson reached the fringe with his drive on the par-four 11th and Brady connected on the eagle putt to get on the board and build some extended momentum for the first time.
Heavy rain served as another variable in the final stretch, and it appeared to affect Manning when he missed a short par putt on No. 14 to lose the hole. The commanding three-hole lead Woods and Manning enjoyed for extended stretches was suddenly down to one with four holes remaining, and there was a noticeable shift in intensity.
Mickelson kept the pressure on with clutch putts to halve Nos. 15 and 16, taking advantage of his teammate's improved play after the early struggles.
However, the steadiness from Woods and Manning meant their opponents were putting for tied holes instead of victories, which was not the formula to complete the comeback. Tiger's final putt on No. 18 rolled right next to the hole, clinching the par, win and bragging rights this time around.