A wacky side bet JUST missed giving team Phil Mickelson-Tom Brady their first win of the afternoon.
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The Match II’s best roast (sans Charles Barkley) came on its 5th hole, but it was so quick, you might’ve missed it. As Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady stepped to the tee on No. 5 at Medalist Golf Club, they were faced with a decision. As part of the aptly named “one-club challenge,” all four players had to pick a single club that would be used from tee to green. Tiger Woods plucked a 4-iron from his bag, while the remaining three all played 6-iron.
Almost right away, the challenge was riveting. Tom Brady hit (another) shot out of play. Tiger striped another tee shot to the center of the fairway. Phil went into the trees, then gave an on-air speech about “getting loose.”
But the real fun began shortly after Tiger and Peyton reached the green in two. Right as Tiger began an on-course interview, he was interrupted. Phil had pulled a notorious move: he wanted Tiger to mark his ball on the green, 150 yards away. Tiger laughed out loud.
“You want me to mark it with my U.S. Open Medal?” Tiger asked, poking fun at his playing partner’s zero career U.S. Open victories.
“How about if I hit your ball, I get a redo,” Phil countered.
Tiger shot back.
“If you hit my ball, I’ll give you the hole.”
Mickelson lined up his shot, took a swing and JUST missed Tiger’s ball on the green. Woods and Mickelson would go on to tie the hole on the scorecard, but Tiger left the hole one up in the dig column.
James Colgan is a news and features editor at GOLF, writing stories for the website and magazine. He manages the Hot Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and utilizes his on-camera experience across the brand’s platforms. Prior to joining GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse University, during which time he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from. He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.