In November 2018, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods faced-off in one of the most lucrative head-to-head match play golf events in the history of the sport. The Match: Tiger Vs Phil was staged in Las Vegas, USA, with a prize purse of US$9 million for the winner. The event was eventually broadcast for free to golf fans worldwide, resulting in a major spectacle. As most fans of big Phil will know, Mickelson eventually prevailed, brushing Tiger aside in their 22^nd and fourth playoff hole.

Now it appears the duo are preparing to return to the fairways for The Match round two. This time, it will all be in the name of charity. The Match: Champions for Charity will see Mickelson and Woods lock horns but this time in a pro-am format. Mickelson is set to team up with NFL quarterback legend Tom Brady, with Tiger Woods partnered by fellow NFL quarterback icon Peyton Manning. The showdown, which will see the quartet collectively donate $10 million towards the COVID-19 relief efforts in the US, is to be staged at the Medalist Golf Club in Florida’s Hobe South.

With the event scheduled for the Memorial Day weekend of Sunday May 24, it has already captured the imagination of the sportsbooks, with the likes of Fanduel and 888sport running golf markets on The Match action, giving the Woods/Manning pairing early favoritism. The competition is also due to be broadcast across TBS and TNT throughout, which should certainly ramp up the interest.

The match play will consist of 18 holes – unless a playoff is required – with nine holes of best ball and nine holes of modified alternate shot play. The playful trash talking has already begun between messrs Mickelson and Woods. Phil took part in an online advertisement for The Match: Champions for Charity by showcasing the trophy he won against Woods in the original event in 2018.

According to golf odds expert Jeff Sherman, the volume of wagers likely to be placed on this year’s The Match: Champions for Charity could be four times the amount staked on the original version of The Match. Sherman said that the previous event yielded volumes akin to a “good NBA game”, but this time around the betting interest is likely to be heightened given the current lack of professional sport on offer.

Sherman also delved deeper into the golfing talents of both Brady and Manning, who are no mugs around a golf course. Sherman believes Brady plays off an eight handicap, while Manning plays off a six handicap, which probably explains why the Woods/Manning duo have been given the slight edge over Mickelson/Brady in the betting markets.

Both Brady and Manning have also partaken in a spot of trash talking in the build up to the match. Brady has joked that he is “happy” to be facing Peyton Manning and not his brother, Eli. Meanwhile Manning has intimated that the choice of venue for the event plays into Brady’s hands and that it would have been better to be staged somewhere that people “don’t like him” such as Indianapolis and Denver. Either way it promises to be a fun sporting spectacle that will provide a much-needed form of escapism for fans in these difficult times.

This nasty pandemic that’s changing how we are doing things across the world is certainly having an impact on the game of golf.  While early on in the pandemic, golfers were taking to local golf courses to get away and practice social distancing, it’s quite the opposite now that most of the USA is in a situation where only essential businesses are open.  In reaction to an article I read in the NY Times, I’m going to share my view on the way the COVID-19 is impacting the game of golf.

How is Golf Being Affected by the Coronavirus?

According to the article, penned by Bill Pennington, golf seemed like a safe bet a week ago (time of publication was March 24, yesterday), with over 6,500 rounds of golf recorded in New Jersey’s Somerset County prior to March 19th.  This number represents a 300% increase over all rounds played in March the year prior, and with only a 19 day sample size.  Pennington went on to write that a similar surge was recorded in other areas of the US, with golfers practicing social distancing and enjoying fresh air.

Of course, last weekend saw a large shutdown nationally which closed “non essential” businesses.  Even in Somerset County, where there are closed golf courses owned by the nation’s President, Donald Trump. While there do indeed exist some golf courses that remain open throughout this ordeal, the majority are closed or are on the verge of closing.

When courses were open, there were measures taken to stop the spread of germs.  This pic, courtesy of the NY Times, is one such example:

The article also talks about Fort Myers, just 100 miles west of me here in South Florida, which is a popular golf destination and also home to the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox Spring Training homes.  Many tourists and fans flock to the Gulf Coast town and watch their team get ready for the season while enjoying one of the many golf courses offered in the area.

Many retirees continue to play golf over there, although the tourism has basically stopped, as have the Spring Training festivities.  All major sports, including The Masters, are postponed until further notice.  There are many cases of the coronavirus coming to the media in forms of popular athletes, and just last night, the Mother of Minnesota Timberwolves player Karl Anthony Towns was said to be in an induced coma from the virus.

The article also touched on the general attitude of golfers, saying that they complained less.  (I assume they took more mulligans as well and gave each other some very liberal putts!)

Golf Events Affected by Coronavirus

PGA TOUR

The below events are officially Canceled

Players Championship (March 12-15)
Valspar Championship (March 19-22)
WGC-Dell Match Play (March 25-29)
Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship (March 26-29)
Valero Texas Open (April 2-5)
RBC Heritage (April 16-19)
Zurich Classic of New Orleans (April 23-26)
Wells Fargo Championship (April 30-May 3)
AT&T Byron Nelson (May 7-10)

Postponed

Masters (April 9-12)
PGA Championship (May 14-17)

The US Open is in serious jeopardy.  (Source.)

Nobody can predict how long this will last, or when golf courses will be back open.  Here’s to it being sooner, rather than later.

Today we welcome a special editorial from a website that covers the golf industry like few others.  Enjoy!

An Important Note: So Phil and Bones just split up after 25 years of wedded bliss. WTF!? Who the hell saw this coming? Apparently, Tim Rosaforte.

Anyway, let me get to what I originally wanted to talk about. GolferGeeks.com; that’s my website dedicated to my nearly lifelong love affair with golf. I cover everything from swing theory- read books, videos, etc- to golfing apparel. I’ve got golf equipment reviews, book reviews, golf gadget reviews, and just random thoughts on what’s going on in the game. Along with my lifelong love of golf, I’ve always been passionate about health, fitness, and well-being. I include those topics on the site.

Naturally, I can’t buy every single item I review, and I’m not a big enough dog to get comped these items for testing- YET. What I do is a lot of research on the products I review and bring you the pros and cons as told from those that have used the item, so all you have to do is read my stuff to get the full picture.

My very favorite that has happened to me since I started the website is getting to talk to Tony Clark, the founder and CEO of golf swing plane trainer- PlaneSwing. I’ve been attracted to this product, or specifically, swing plane trainers since I took up golf when I was 23. I featured the PlaneSwing on my site and reached out to Tony via email, asking a few questions about himself, the company, and awesome product. Not only did he answer all my questions in detail, he gave me his number and offered to hop on a call with me. We actually spoke twice and I came away with even more confidence in him, his company.

You may be asking, “what the heck does this have to do with Phil Mickelson?” I can help here. Phil’s two most prominent coaches, and the ones he got all his majors with, are Randy Smith and Butch Harmon. Ok, whatever, you might say. What these two guys have in common is that they both use the PlaneSwing to train golfers at their academies. I can’t say for certain that Phil has used it, but I think it’s likely he’s at least tried it. He’s noted to be pretty curious.

Anyway, cool things happen when you follow your passions or interests and talk to other people who feel the same. I hope to be talking to many of you soon. Come on over to Golfer Geeks and say hi.