The PGA Tour’s return is a just under month away and to help build the excitement The Match II featuring Tiger Woods vs Phil Mickelson tees-off on May 24th. But to make things even more interesting another dynamic duo is joining the PGA icons on the green at the Medalist Golf Club in Florida, a state where sports is officially considered an essential service, God bless ’em. That’s right, the rumors are true, as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are partaking in the charity event. Manning is joining forces with Woods while Brady is hooking up with Mickelson. The team match play follows a Four-Ball (Best Ball) format on the front nine, and is completed with a modified alternate shot format on the back nine where each golfer will tee off and then the team will play alternate shot from the selected drive. The altered format makes things more interesting from an entertainment perspective, but also adds an enhanced level of consequence to every single shot. This is by far the most exciting thing on the docket in the world of sports for May, and bettors are chomping at the bit to get in on the action. Register to make your pick, and read on for our prediction for The Match II.
Tiger Woods may have lost to Mickelson in the very first Match back in 2018, but the next season Woods reestablished himself as the superior between the two with a win at The Masters in 2019. Woods currently sits in 11th position on world rankings whereas his opponent (Mickelson) missed the cut in four of his last six PGA events. Woods also has a relative home course advantage here, as he currently holds the course record at 62. On paper he is the clear frontrunner as the -200 odds suggest, but will Manning throw a wrench into Woods’ plans to even up The Match record with Mickelson?
Manning also has an advantage over NFL rival Tom Brady. For one, he has had nothing but time to play golf since his retirement back in 2016, while Brady has been busy with Super Bowls and packing up his Vince Lombardi trophies to move to his new digs in Tampa Bay. Manning also has an edge with a 6 handicap in comparison to Brady’s 8. Manning and Woods are also famiiar teammates, having played together in 2005 at the Bay Hill Pro-Am and in 2009 at the Quail Hollow Championship. To keep things even more interesting for bettors, the sportsbook favors Manning over Brady with -150 odds to set the tone of the match with the longest drive on Hole No. 1.
Mickelson may be considered a contender in the match due to the simply fact that he got the best of Woods at The Match I back in 2018. But there’s more. Woods was hampered by further back problems early in the PGA season before the world fell apart. He had already been out of action for a month before the PGA suspended the season. Woods claims to be feeling just fine heading into The Match II but there’s never any certainty when it comes to persistent injuries. This is Mickelson’s only real hope, as his PGA campaigning of late as been abysmal. He currently sits at 61st in world rankings and 77th as a Money Leader. What about Brady?
As mentioned above, Vegas odds prefer the retiree (Manning) over the currently active Brady, listing the Tampa Bay Buccaneer (still weird to say it) as a -105 underdog to win each of the 18-holes at Medalist Golf Club. Heck, even Brady doesn’t think he can beat Manning in golf, as per his recent Tweet after watching his rival compete at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February:
Writer’s Prediction
There will be no underdog surprise this time, The Match II is a win for Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning.
