Two of golf’s greatest to ever play the game going head to head. $9 million on the line. Winner takes all.
On November 23, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will face off at the Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will be broadcasted on Pay-Per-View through Turner Sports, though the price has not been released as of yet.
This match has been in the works for some time now, as Woods and Mickelson see this as a way towards generating a new platform for golf. Made-for-TV matches are not a new concept, but this type of stake with these prolific figures is. Woods and Mickelson see this format taking place at least twice a year with potential for two-on-two matches as well.
“It’s an opportunity for us to bring golf to the masses in prime time during a period where we don’t have much going on in the world of golf, said Mickelson. “It’s a way to show a side you don’t normally see by having us mic’d up to hear some of the interaction between us.”
According to reports, the fixture will be a match format with several challenges laid in. Challenges such as longest drive, closest to the bunker, closest to the hole, longest putt, etc.
With wagers already anticipated on an outright winner, these side challenges create a whole slew of golf prop bets and other side action for bettors to take advantage of. Woods and Mickelson are to make side bets of their own throughout the match.
Turner’s B/R Live Platform, DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse will televise the Pay-Per-View event. HBO Sports and Bleacher Report will also contribute in some way.
Banter has surfaced between the two players on Twitter, but Mickelson was quick to reel himself in seeing as the two could be partners in the upcoming Ryder Cup.
“I’ve got to be careful because I’m hoping we are teammates in the Ryder Cup and I don’t want to cause a stir yet. But in the first week of October, it will start to heat up,” Mickelson said.
Tiger and Phil hope that this fixture will blossom until a lucrative venture for other golfers in the future. With this type of interactive environment and a high-stakes game, the drama is set for an increase in a sport heralded somewhat boring for some analysts.
“The plans are for this one and possibly more, but you just never know,” said Woods.