The Match – Tiger vs. Phil
This coming week is a massive week for our friends across the pond – its Thanksgiving on Thursday; they day where American’s consume the most amount of food on one single day. Then, of course, we have Black Friday, which seems to have taken us by storm over here in the UK. Amidst all this…..there’s a golf match going on in Las Vegas.
Ten or fifteen years ago, the prospect of having a one-on-one 18 hole match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson would have put the whole world on notice. These were the two top guys in the game, famously not the best of friends, and completely different people. The opportunity to see them go head to head at the peak of their powers would be an incredible sight. However, Tiger (42) and Phil (48) are no longer the only draw for crowds week on week. Undoubtedly, the return of Tiger and what he brings to the game has got people talking again. But, conversely, Phil has been struggling more recently; with his dance moves getting more coverage than his golf.
From a complete outside point of view, it would seem like this is just a way for the pair of them to have the holiday weekend in Vegas while lining their pockets. Luckily, it seems like most of the money involved will be donated to good causes – and this includes any media revenue made.
It also appears that this is going to be better than just an 18 hole match play event. Both players and their respective caddies will be wired up with microphones so that the viewers can hear everything that’s said….hope they’ve got someone good on the bleep machine every time Tiger hits a shot. There’s going to be drones flying everywhere to give all sorts of camera angles. They’ve even got basketball legend Charles Barclay on commentary to provide some expert swing insights…
The only downside…..there’s no actual TV coverage on The Match in the UK!
Personally, I think the organisers have missed a trick a little bit. As much as these have been the two biggest names in golf for the past couple of decades, surely getting some of the young upcoming guys to go head to head would attract a bigger crowd. Seeing Justin Thomas facing off against Jordan Speith (and maybe even throw in Rickie Fowler) would see some close friends going at it; and what’s more these guys are at the top of their game. From a UK point of view, wouldn’t it be great to have Justin Rose play Ian Poulter or even get the stars of the Ryder Cup from this year playing some kind of special event.
On paper, The Match should be massive, and I’m sure lots of the golfing world will still find a way of watching. But, it just doesn’t seem to have created any kind of buzz or excitement. What are your thoughts? Let us know on social media or in the comments section below.
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