If you follow golf and have been hiding under a rock for the past two months, well then news flash — The Match has arrived.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson square off at 3 p.m. ET on Friday on pay-per-view in a match-play showdown with $9 million on the line. There will also be side bets aplenty, and for those the golfers will put up their own cash.
But if you don’t plan on watching or are on the fence, give us one last chance to persuade you. Here are nine reasons you absolutely should order The Match.
1. Star power
Simply one of these names playing in a competition such as this should warrant your attention. This one has both of them. They have won more than $200 million combined in their careers. Now the stage is theirs.
2. The course
Shadow Creek is no joke, and you can play it yourself. Sure, it’s gonna cost a pretty penny, but after seeing this beauty in the Vegas desert you’ll insert it directly onto your bucket list.
3. No slouches
Yes, these two are past their prime, but it’s not like they are limping onto the senior tour. Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship a couple of months ago and even Phil Mickelson ended a winless drought earlier this year, winning the WGC-Mexico Championship. Mickelson struggled to end the season, but if you think he won’t have his “A” game for this matchup you are crazy.
4. It’s cheaper than twilight golf
It’s only $19.99. Free things are obviously better than ones you have to pay for, but a cool Jackson isn’t that bad, is it? It’s basically the same price of a drink and a half in New York City or a couple of buckets of range balls. Have three buddies come over and it’s $5 each. Done.
5. Charities will benefit
These uber-rich athletes aren’t taking all the cash. Oh, they’ll get their cut, but a lot of this (we are unsure on the exact amount) will be going to charity.
6. Viewer friendly!
No commercials! And Phil and Tiger are mic’d up. Yes, please.
7. The pressure
It will get intense. I’ll be the first to admit this has been a lot of bad dad jokes and forced trash talk thus far, but wait until the cameras are rolling and those first tee shots are hit. There will be immense pressure. Tiger doesn’t want to lose to Phil and Mickelson certainly doesn’t want to lose to Woods. It’s an exhibition, but you will see the raw emotion we covet soon enough.
8. The broadcast team
Charles Barkley and Samuel L. Jackson are on the pregame show. I’ll pay $20 just to see what they have to say about the wonders of the golf swing.
9. We love to bet
Love to throw some cash down? This is for you. Make some bets of your own or create pools with your buddies. It’s sure to be a blast either way.
