It’s golf, but not as we know it. Friday sees two of the game’s greats go head-to-head, with no trophy on the line and no major title to be won.
There is a huge amount of money on the line, however, when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson tee it up in Las Vegas for a very special showdown.
A $9 million winner-takes-all prize-pot is what’s at stake, as ‘The Match’ tests the water for golf’s pay-per-view and Over the Top (OTT) platform potential.
Golf is attempting to engage with a new younger audience as several other sports, including Formula One and tennis, in adapting formats across an advancing digital landscape.
“This is very different than anything golf has ever done in the past,” Woods said earlier this week in the build-up to the event. “We’re able to showcase our sport in such a different light and all the different technologies we’re going to be bringing to this event and to do it differently than any other golfing event has ever been done.”
Anyone wishing to watch the action unfold at the Shadow Creek course will have to pay $19.99 to do so on pay-per-view; no members of the public will be admitted to watch from the fairways and greens.
For those watching at home, live betting odds will be displayed on the screen, covering a range of markets to tempt viewers into wagering on the outcome.
Gambling will be almost actively encouraged throughout the event as Woods and Mickelson challenge each other with high-stakes side bets paid for from their own pockets for good causes. In another innovative twist, both players and their caddies will wear microphones when on the course.
The “smack talk” began at the pre-round news conference — first with Mickelson betting $100,000 that he’ll birdie the first hole, with Woods calling him out to double it. The theater was then amplified when the pair squared up for a nose-to-nose boxing-style publicity photo, although Mickelson did struggle to keep a straight face.
Woods has 14 major titles to his name, while Mickelson has five, including three Green Jackets from The Masters. But both players believe this very special round at Shadow Creek Golf Club is about more than money.
Aside from the $9 million prize, which is being backed by Capital One bank, Mickelson said the most important element is the bragging rights for the winner. Both are promising not to let the other forget the result if they’re the one who prevails.
“(Woods) would always come along and break every single record,” said Mickelson. “It’s my chance after losing so many majors to you and tournaments to get a little something back.”
Woods and Mickelson still have large profiles within the sport, despite not currently featuring among golf’s top 10 ranked male players. However, according to Forbes, both earned over $40 million during this year.
Spain’s Jon Rahm and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy have both suggested the idea of Woods going up against Mickelson in this format had come 10 years too late.
However, when the match was announced in August it did draw some support from Australian golfer and former Masters champion Adam Scott, who even hinted he would be keen on a similar match-up with compatriot Jason Day.
