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May 25, 2020 — Rain filled the South Florida air on Sunday, May 24, threatening to make a mess of The Match: Champions for Charity at Medalist Golf Club. Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning hung on to win the match by defeating Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady, 1 up. Starting out the four sporting icons didn’t let bad weather dampen what turned out to be an exciting, fun-filled exhibition that raised $20 million for COVID-19 relief efforts while highlighting the ups and downs of competitive golf.
Of course Mickelson trash-talked (as is his hallmark during rounds) and the situation was enhanced by announcer Charles Barkley. World No. 4 player Justin Thomas put in his two cents, smartly commenting his way through with sly remarks all while playing the role as an on-course reporter. The round engaged many notable Celebrities who rang in by phone and offered challenge donations to spruce up the challenge even further. After all was said and done, $10 million was pledged by the four players and WarnerMedia prior to the match, another $10 million was raised during the afternoon through text messages and online pledges, among other means.”Phil said he was nervous, so imagine us,” said Manning, the retired two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback who is a member at Augusta National. “To go behind the ropes and get in these guys’ world and in the arena with them was really an incredible experience.
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“I was not comfortable the whole time, but raising $20 million as people are going through such tough times, it’s something I’ll always remember and cherish.”
A Tiger-Phil match of some kind had long been in the works as a sequel to The Match that Mickelson won in 2018, capturing a $9 million payday in a winner-take-all Thanksgiving encounter in Las Vegas, according to ESPN reports. But, before the Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to sports, a Tiger-Phil match that included Manning and Brady was in the works. The idea reverted to an important fundraiser several weeks ago, one that would still give fans a fantastic challenge to watch.
The Challenge had significant moments for all four competitors, forthright most notably by Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback who seemed to be getting grief the entire front nine before he holed a wedge shot for a birdie on the seventh hole — while his pants were splitting and his microphone was breaking. That meant a $100,000 donation from Brooks Koepka — who phoned in his pledge as he saw Brady struggling, saying he’d offer the money if the former New England Patriots quarterback were to make par on the front side.
Read more at ESPN.com
