Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning vs. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady Looks Like It'll Really Happen
By Liam McKeone
Over the weekend, Phil Mickelson got all of our hopes up when he said he was working on putting together a sequel to his 2018 one-on-one match with Tiger Woods.
Working on it
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) March 30, 2020
Lefty doubled down in another reply, and golf journalist Robert Lusetich reported the event may be happening the next day. He also threw in an unexpected bone to keep us all even more intrigued: the match could include avid golfers Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as well. As things stand, any live sports is a pipe dream, so I was skeptical, but it was fun to get excited about something again.
I don’t tease. I’m kinda a sure thing
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) March 30, 2020
Hearing Tiger v Phil II might indeed be happening as a PPV event but that the caveat is that each will have a partner. Two names being mentioned? Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
— Robert Lusetich (@RobertLusetich) March 30, 2020
Wednesday morning brought excellent news to all those wary of disappointment, though. CNBC's Jabari Young reports the match will go on, and Brady and Manning will indeed be participating. Brady will team up with Mickelson and Manning with Woods. From the article:
"NFL icons Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will join superstars Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in a golf match organized by AT&T’s WarnerMedia and the PGA Tour, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed to CNBC."
"The person, who requested to not be identified as negotiations are stilling being finalized, said the event would likely happen in May and would benefit charity. Though nothing is official, the event could take place live on Turner Sports’ TNT channel or elsewhere in the WarnerMedia company, but its unlikely to be featured on pay-per-view."
Young also reports other stars from the PGA, NBA, and NFL will be featured in some capacity, and specifically named TNT's Charles Barkley as a participant.
Well, isn't this just excellent news! Outside of the fact that any and all live sports operating in a safe manner are welcome right now, the Mickelson-Woods match from a few years ago was a treat to watch. Now we get a redux AND it includes Manning and Brady, two obscenely competitive men who aren't afraid to talk trash to each other? Under normal circumstances the anticipation would be through the roof. Under the current circumstances, it's a boon we will all welcome with open arms.
Manning and Woods have teamed up for a few celebrity pro-ams, while Brady and Mickelson seem to be friends, so both teams have a certain synergy going on. No word yet on if the event will have everyone mic'd up like its forefather. That would make it even better, but I think I speak for everyone when I say we'll take it with or without live commentary from the foursome.