A thunderstorm delayed the start of the Match 2. Tom Brady hit the ball all over the planet—looking more like a 20-handicap than the incredible athlete he is. Peyton Manning was steady, while Tiger Woods looked cool, calm and healthy, hitting fairway after fairway. Phil Mickelson was exactly what you’d expect—effervescent and quippy, chatting throughout and threatening to hit “bombs” off every tee.
In the middle of all these personalities was The Match: Champions for Charity, team-based game that pitted Woods and Manning against Mickelson and Brady at Florida’s Medalist Golf Club.
The event raised more than $20-million for charity, and featured each golfer playing in their own golf cart to promote physical distancing, with each player mic’d and with a remote camera covering their reactions.
In the end, the team of Woods/Manning outlasted Mickelson/Brady, winning 1-up.
And though it looked for a lot of the match like Team Tiger would run away with the match, it went down to the wire. With the sky darkening—it rained steadily and sometimes quite hard throughout—the team of Mickelson and Brady were down by one on the 18th at the Medalist, a course on Florida’s east coast that is home to many PGA Tour pros, including Woods.
Playing the back nine in a modified alternate shot format, with everyone hitting a tee shot and choosing the best, the quarterbacks had to hit the approach to the final green. When Mickelson couldn’t hole a chip from off the green on the 18th hole, the game was over.
With the players all using earpieces, the commentators were interacting with them throughout. After a rough start for Brady —some on social media asked whether he was going to run out of golf balls—Barkley started giving the quarterback grief for his struggles. On the 7th hole, Brady answered back, holing out from the fairway on the par-5.
“Chuck, take a suck of that,” Brady said. “Shut your mouth, Chuck. Take a load of that medicine. Get your butt out of here. That’s what I needed.” Thomas might also have a career as an announcer, proving deft with his on-course remarks, and humorously calling Tiger “Eldrick” for much of the match (Tiger’s given name.)