Professional golf is still shut down until at least the middle of June, but a major golf event is set to take place in May. Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are set to headline a golf match for charity, and they have brought in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady to join them. Woods and Manning will team up in the match against Mickelson and Brady.
The event is being called “The Match: Champions for Charity,” and it is set to provide funds for coronavirus relief. The location has yet to be determined, and the official date has not been announced either. There is a belief that the event will take place during Memorial Day weekend, and the event will be aired live on TNT.
Mickelson and Woods met for a one-on-one match a few years ago, and Mickelson was the winner. Woods was able to make the first selection of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, and he went with Manning. Mickelson then chose Brady, who will be playing in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Woods and Mickelson, while being friends, have had a terrific rivalry throughout the years. The same can be said for Brady and Manning when they met up several different times in the AFC Playoffs. There has already been some trash-talking taking place on social media, and the event should provide some great entertainment in a time when all live sporting events have been put on hold.
The Sunshine State
Sources have indicated that the event will take place at a golf course in Florida, but Turner Sports is working with state officials to ensure that proper safety protocols will be in place. Florida has been under some extreme stay-at-home orders through April, but parts of the state have started to open back up.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis publicly stated last week that he would support this event if it were to take place in his state. DeSantis has been a huge proponent of getting sports back up and running throughout the state and the rest of the US.
The PGA Tour has also yet to sign off on the event taking place, and that still needs to happen before an official announcement can be made. The PGA Tour has to approve their players playing in any non-sanctioned event. It is expected that they will allow the match to take place, but they are also working with health officials.
These four legends have reportedly been working on setting up a match for a few months, but those plans were put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic. They have since converted this to a relief effort in hoping to raise plenty of money to aid relief programs set up to fight the virus.
The PGA Tour has not held any tournaments since March 12, when the Players Championship was canceled after just one round. Three major golf tournaments have already been postponed to a later date this fall, and the Open Championship was canceled in 2020.
Sportsbooks are keeping a close eye on news surrounding this event, and there will likely be many bets offered when a date is announced. The Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas has already announced odds for this match. Woods/Manning are currently listed as the favorites at -150, while Mickelson/Brady are listed at +130.
Manning currently sports a handicap of 6.4. Brady sports a handicap of 8.1, which is why Woods and Manning are the early favorites for this matchup. There are also likely going to be several prop bets offered for this matchup.
