Getty Proceeds from The Match II will be donated to COVID-19 relief efforts.
When Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson last squared off in 2018, the two golfers were playing for a $9 million purse. The Match part two in 2020 will raise $10 million for COVID-19 relief efforts.
It will also look a little different as there is an NFL twist to the competition. Woods is teaming up with Peyton Manning, while Mickelson added Tom Brady for the second edition of the exhibition match.
“The golfers will collectively make a charitable donation of $10 million to benefit COVID-19 relief,” the Turner Sports press release stated.
$10 Million Is Being Donated to COVID-19 Relief Efforts
The broadcast will also partner with the ALL IN Challenge where athletes and celebrities are auctioning off different experiences with the proceeds benefitting coronavirus relief. The golfers’ $10 million donation will go to a number of charities including Direct Relief, the American Red Cross, Save Small Business and the ALL IN Challenge.
The Match II has a different feel than the inaugural contest where both golfers could afford to lose $9 million along with some of the side bets that were agreed to on the golf course. WarnerMedia chairman Jeff Zucker noted in the organization’s press release that they are hoping to both raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and provide a “brief distraction” to fans at home.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unimaginable tragedy and heartbreak,” Zucker noted. “We’re hopeful this event and platform will help raise meaningful funding for COVID-19 relief, while also providing a source of brief distraction and entertainment for all sports fans.”
Woods admitted that this event is “different” than the tournament that featured friendly trash talk between the golfers two years ago.
“This is different than what Phil and I did two years ago,” Woods said, per CBS Sports. “That was he and I just having a great time, trying to showcase golf in a different way. We’re coming together to showcase golf in a different way, but it’s about charity. That’s the reason why we’re all doing this.”
The PGA Tour Is Scheduled to Resume on June 11
The Woods-Mickelson match comes just a week after Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff took part in the TaylorMade Driving Relief event. The PGA Tour officially resumes with the Charles Schwab Challenge on June 11 in Fort Worth, Texas. It marks the first official competition since THE PLAYERS Championship was canceled mid-tournament on March 12. Tournaments will initially be held without fans on the golf course.
The PGA Tour is expecting to have the majority of golfers back, but not everyone is buying the current plan. Adam Scott told the Australian Associated Press that he will sit out the first seven tournaments for health reasons.
“They are being fairly thorough, but my initial reaction was I was surprised it wasn’t tighter than it is,” Scott said, per ESPN. “What concerns me is dialogue that [the tour] is hopeful of returning one- or two-hour test [results]. You’d want that in place before competing. The other [concern] is it seems an asymptomatic person could operate within a tournament. If they’re not showing symptoms and I somehow pick it up inside the course and I’m disqualified, I’m now self-isolating [in that city] for two weeks. I’d be annoyed if that happened.”