But each of the previous made-for-TV events all lacked a little something all the best sporting events have: juice. Juice is unquantifiable. It doesn’t spit out in a statistical model. It’s just one of those things you know exists when you actually feel it.

Make no mistake, the sixth edition of The Match, this one featuring Brady and Rodgers again (on the same team, this time) against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, had plenty of juice. This was glaringly evident when, after missing a rather lengthy putt that Brady knew he needed to halve a hole, he let out a gutteral “OH NO” that you would expect to only hear after a backbreaking pick six on a sultry Monday night in Miami. It was equally evident when his teammate walked in the winning birdie putt on the 12th hole and celebrated like he just clinched his billionth NFC North division title.

It also helped, immensely, that there were real, live, actual fans at the Wynn Golf Club, a feature the prior five matches did not have due to either limited, VIP-type invitations and/or COVID restrictions. The Match VI faced neither of those challenges, and it made for an unforgettable atmosphere in Las Vegas.

Here are six takeaways from by far the best The Match.

Patrick Mahomes was stunningly good

Keep in mind when we say “stunningly,” what we mean is we thought Mahomes would definitely be the worst of the four, and possibly downright bad. Yes, he’s an athletic freak of nature who has had some solid swing videos make the social-media rounds before, and he had teed it up in Tahoe last year, but this was going to be an entirely different arena. The shamble format alleviates some of the pressure, but once you select the better of the tee shots it’s on you from there. There’s no hiding, and you better be good throughout your bag, especially considering he wasn’t getting any shots.

Mahomes was plenty good throughout his bag, displaying the ability to mash the driver, showing off some deft touch around the greens and making multiple clutch putts that kept he and Josh Allen in it. It quickly became clear we’d all underestimated Mahomes’ recent work with former PGA Tour player Hank Kuehne and his brother Trip down in Texas. During a Zoom call with a number of media members last week, Mahomes credited the Kuehne brothers with helping him rein in the big stick and with helping him dial it in on the greens. Whatever he’s paying them (we have no idea if he’s paying them) it ain’t enough. That man CARRIED Allen around the golf course on Wednesday, when the prevailing thought was that the exact opposite would occur.

Mahomes had to take a lap after this chip shot ? #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/AGwwKQOtDY

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2022

The fans added an entirely new element

This was mentioned in the opening but bears repeating: each of the first five matches were seriously underwhelming in the buzz department, mostly a product of COVID. That was not the case for Brady/Rodgers vs Mahomes/Allen, who obviously brought out the exact type of fan needed to give these events some much-needed pop: NFL fans.

Right from the moment all four gunslingers arrived at the makeshift range at the Wynn, you could feel this was going to be different. Bills Mafia was out in full force (those people travel well), and they serenaded Brady with a “Let’s go Buffalo!” song (to the tune of ‘Shout’) while he made his way to the practice area. Everywhere you looked someone had on one of the four QB’s jerseys. And because this was golf and not an NFL stadium, fans could get extremely close to their heroes, and many times the fan reaction to being that close was what I’d imagine the reaction was to Elvis Presley simply existing back in his day. These four dudes are absolute rockstars and are treated as such, though they received their fair share of trash talk as well. The type of trash talk that most PGA Tour pros would hear and promptly call security to have the culprits removed from the premises. Brady? He’s heard much worse over the last two decades as king. Rodgers? He welcomed that type of vitriol in Chicago last season by screaming “I OWN YOU” to Bears fans after a touchdown scamper. Allen and Mahomes are probably still getting used to it, but they handled it just fine. It was a mini-NFL environment in a golf setting, and it was electric.

Tom Brady is the ultimate salesman

No athlete has ever reminded me as much of Phil Mickelson as TB12 did on Wednesday. Constantly smiling and thumbs-upping people to death. “Thanks for coming out,” to everyone that screamed his name. Just the word “BRADY” on his golf shirt. TB12 logo in plain sight at all times, be it on his gigantic Yeti water bottle or the front of his hat, which he wore backwards for about three holes up until the final hole when it turned it back forward knowing there would be maximum eyeballs on the tense par-3 tee that decided the match. It makes sense given his entire social-media presence revolves around selling product, but it’s still so wild to see in person. It’s hard to tell if he’s a real human at times, but he reminds you that he very much is when he’s hitting bad golf shots. Brady hates nothing more than hitting bad golf shots, because hitting bad golf shots means you are losing, and losing is not something Brady does all that often and when he does he does not handle it well. It’s at his lowest points when he’s the most relatable, and those points usually only come when he’s holding a golf club in his hands.

"Some tip you gave me."

Brady had to call out the crew this shot ? #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/w4hf5nBshn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2022

People are not afraid to get hit by a golf ball, apparently

Nowhere was the phrase “common sense is not common” more apparent than at the Wynn Golf Club on Wednesday evening. Because people with common sense would understand that these professional quarterbacks are not professional golfers, meaning you are in the line of fire basically anywhere that isn’t behind them when they are addressing a golf ball. All four guys can move it well on their best swings, but their bad swings are just like the rest of ours, which leads us to the question: Would you stand two yards off the fairway just 20 yards ahead if you or your buddy were on the tee box? The answer (I hope) is no. Brady knows this, and he implored the fans to spread out on the second tee, telling them “guys, that’s really dangerous” multiple times, to no avail. Then, he promptly line-drived one down the left side that could have killed someone but fortunately did not. Turns out, that was one of the few tee shots that didn’t hit someone. It was an absolute shooting gallery, though most folks didn’t care. In fact, I actually heard multiple people wish they were the ones who got struck by the Aaron Rodgers block fade. With the right mix of Vegas sun and refreshments, it’s probably a pain-free experience anyway.

That Aaron Rodgers is quite clutch after all

The haters will tell you Rodgers has shrunk in many a big moment since his lone Super Bowl victory, but there was no such shrinking on the golf course. The now four-time MVP was the sneaky MVP on Wednesday, making a birdie on the first to go 1 up and picking up an insanely clutch birdie at the ninth that was just to halve the hole. And finally, with the match on the line, draining a birdie to avoid a closest to the pin playoff and walking it in in style:

A-Rod for the WIN! ? #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/et3paek5DB

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2022

It’s not fair to say he dragged Brady to victory, because Brady did make a huge birdie late in the match that tied it back up, but Rodgers was the steadying force the entire day. He pounds the ball with his driver and consistently strikes his irons well, while Brady has trouble avoiding some big misses and the odd shank or chunk. Rodgers does nothing of that sort, and he expects to make the shot or the putt, just like he expects to fit the ball into that tight window that only he can fit it into. As a result, he’s 2-0 in these matches and has seemingly played a massive role in both victories. He likes to play down just how good he is, which is clearly by design.

The Match was really fun and there should (will) be more just like it

At the risk of repeating everything I’ve already written, I’ll just keep it simple: this match, the one without any PGA Tour professionals, was by far the most fun one yet. It still has some work to do in the format/organisation department, but that matters little when you get the right mix of personalities like this one had and the addition of some rabid fans who would have no idea how to act at an actual professional golf event but can get away with acting like that in this setting. Vegas seems to be the ideal location for these, as fans will have no issue making a trip out of it to see their guys up close and personal, not to mention the fact that Vegas is pretty good at hosting this type of stuff. The hard golf fan may continue to resist, but maybe these just aren’t for the hard golf fan. Judging by the social-media reaction, this one attracted the exact crowd that golf doesn’t have and so desperately needs, so there’s no other way to view it than as a positive.

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The post Mahomes shines, Rodgers comes up clutch (again) and four other takeaways from best ‘The Match’ yet appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Tom Brady is no stranger to having his every move dissected on the internet. Whether it be a 3rd-and-4 incompletion, or a video of him stumbling around while celebrating another Super Bowl, he understands people are going to break it down frame-by-frame.

So it came as no surprise when a video of Brady making a “hole-in-one” began making the rounds, social media pounced on it. “Fake!” they cried. “This looks edited to me,” they yelled. “Just retire already!!!” they screamed (that last one might be made up, although we’re all thinking it).

Upon first viewing, it does seem like the criticisms have merit, however:

This is why you film every shot on the course…

?: @ari_fararooy + @ShadowLion pic.twitter.com/h9QrbLKOmu

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 25, 2022

The first thing to note is that the reaction seems very genuine, which means A: He did hole this shot out, which wouldn’t be out of the question considering he’s done something similar on live TV before, or B: He and everyone in the video are really good actors, which is also not out of the question given TB12’s blossoming social media presence.

The second thing to note is that Brady does not refer to this as a hole-in-one, as many others did online. During a Zoom call for The Match, Brady also confirmed that this was no ace.

“It’s not a hole-in-one, because it wasn’t really a par 3,” Brady said. “We were in the middle of the fairway on a par 4, and I would have had to play the whole round for it to be a real hole-in-one. It was a once-in-a-lifetime shot, that’s for sure, but it wasn’t a hole-in-one unfortunately. I can’t claim that.”

Honest man, though he did not confirm nor deny if the video is real in anyway at all. Based off the 26-27-second mark of the video, it sure seems deceptively edited, which seems to be the case with many of Brady’s made-for-Instagram clips. Like this one, for example:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady)

Or this one, which he posted ahead of the last iteration of The Match he was a part of:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady)

What we do know for sure is that Brady has an excellent team of social media people that knows how to rack up the views, although it’s pretty easy to rack up views when you’re Tom Brady. It doesn’t help the “this is a real video” case when he’s hawking merch underneath the video, which just so happened to have over 1.5 million views:

Shop the outfit now! https://t.co/Bx0UnTMRJr pic.twitter.com/FLwfnGyMRQ

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 25, 2022

Cha ching. Not even trying to hide it. You almost have to respect it. Good news for the haters is that next Wednesday, when the lights go on and Brady and Aaron Rodgers take on Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, there will be no deceptive editing of any sort to hide behind. Knowing Brady, he’ll show up and show out, and everyone on the internet will have their eye on his every move, as always.

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The post WATCH: No way! Tom Brady did not make a hole-in-one in that viral video (which may or may not be real) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Reigning All-Pro quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will take on fellow NFL superstars Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in the next installment of ‘The Match’.

The Turner Sports exhibition will take place on Wednesday, June 1 at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. The Wynn previously hosted the last iteration of The Match in November, with Brooks Koepka defeating Brooks DeChambeau in a 12-hole battle.

Like previous versions of The Match, players will be mic’d up during competition, allowing viewers to hear the chatter inside the ropes and facilitate banter between the broadcast crew and players during the event. The 12-hole challenge format from the Koepka-DeChambeau bout will also return.

This will be Brady’s third appearance in The Match. He previously played alongside Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Peyton Manning in the ‘Champions For Charity’ event at Medalist in Hobe Sound, Florida in May 2020 and returned last July to team up with Mickelson in a losing effort against DeChambeau and Rodgers at the Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana. Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champ, returned from a short retirement this offseason and will be entering his 23rd year in the NFL this autumn.

This will be Rodgers’ second Match outing following his aforementioned victory in Big Sky last summer, while both Mahomes and Allen will be making their Match debuts. Combined the four gunslingers have won nine Super Bowls and made 86 playoff appearances.

This is the sixth edition of The Match, which has raised nearly $33 million for various charitable endeavors.

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The post Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers to face Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen in next installment of ‘The Match’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Stephen Hennessey
The Match”—the made-for-TV events with Phil Mickelson taking part as one of the headliners each time—will return for a fourth time, Turner Sports announced on Wednesday, with a July 6 match slated for The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Mont., on TNT.

Mickelson—the 2021 PGA champion and a two-time winner in this format—will pair with Tom Brady, who Phil was teamed with in the second version of The Match at Medalist. They’ll face Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers, who will each make their debut in “Capital One’s The Match” series. And once again, Turner says each competitor will be mic’d up throughout the competition, which will be a modified alternate-shot format, Turner says.

DeChambeau is sure to be an engaging addition to the matches—with his very talkative personality and never-ending motor. And Rodgers—the quarterback and the NFL MVP last season—is listed as a 4.6 Handicap Index and has competed before at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, Nev.

The Reserve at Moonlight Basin, ranked No. 2 on Golf Digest’s most recent Best in State rankings in Montana, can be tipped out at 8,000 yards and features a 777-yard 17th hole. The course sits at 7,000 feet above elevation, built on an old ski mountain—so Mickelson and Co. will have the opportunity to hit some bombs.

Following his historic victory at Kiawah Island last week—becoming the oldest major champion ever—the intrigue around Mickelson is bound to be at its highest. He is expected to meet with the media on Wednesday at Colonial Country Club ahead of him playing this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge.

Once again, this edition of “Capital One’s The Match” will have a charity component, including donations to Feeding America among other beneficiaries. Turner Sports said its broadcasting team will be announced at a later date, and on Wednesday Justin Thomas responded with a thumbs-up down emoji on Instagram when someone asked him if he’d be announcing. JT only worked the second match at The Medalist in Hobe Sound, Fla.

The smack talk already started flying—with Brady delivering a dagger at Rodgers’ expense on social media.

Two old guys against the young bucks @PhilMickelson. @b_dechambeau better get used to laying up because we know @AaronRodgers12 isn’t going for it ? https://t.co/f1DQsFn41U

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 26, 2021

The post ‘The Match’ is back—Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady to team up against Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

You might call this minutia, and you’re not entirely wrong. But we like to think of it as highly entertaining minutia. So here are 13 things that help tell the story of golf in 2020.

Peloton

In case you forgot professional golfers are richer than gods, a handful of players spent their respective tours’ COVID-19 sabbatical diving into the Peloton fad. (Peloton: The exercise bike for those unaware what regular exercise bikes cost.) Intolerable as this crowd may be, some good came out of it, as Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson and Morgan Pressel raised money for the New York City food bank during a Peloton charity race.

RELATED: Rory McIlroy is a monster on the Peloton

Drones

For all the hype of an autumn-kissed Augusta National, the Augusta looked very much like the Augusta of April, a jewel of exploding emerald at almost every turn. However, new drone technology incorporated by ESPN and CBS delivered aerial views of the venerated property that truly made it a Masters unlike any other.

Golden hour at Amen Corner. #themasters pic.twitter.com/BiTDRSWMcD

— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 12, 2020

Coffee mug

Phil Mickelson is a showman in every sense of the word. He’s also not one for nuance. Which is why Mickelson, who launched his own coffee line this year, took any and every opportunity to plug his new venture, regularly placing a Yeti mug with his brand’s name directly into cameras. Always Be Closing, Phil.

Icon Sportswire

RELATED: Our 50 favourite ‘Phil being Phil’ moments

Tom Brady’s ripped pants

With TB12’s appearance in The Match 2 at Medalist Golf Club in May, the future pro football Hall of Famer was exposed as a sandbagger, received an ungodly amount of schadenfreude during a hit-n-giggle and ripped his pants in the one nanosecond where things weren’t going wrong. Yet the shot that ultimately led to that infamous splitting of slacks—a hole-out for eagle—was the first “Oh-My-Did-You-See-That?!?!!” sports moment since the world shut down in March.

Great Wall of Dinah

Temporary fencing behind the island 18th green on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills C.C. was supposed to replicate the experience of the grandstand that usually is built there for the ANA Inspiration, pre-COVID. In reality, it served as a backboard for players and played a pivotal role in the event’s outcome, with eventual winner Mirim Lee using the structure to keep her second shot from finding water. It was absurd, it was controversial and it was fantastic, because sometimes there’s nothing wrong with a little chaos.

Christian Petersen

Hoodies

It was a small thing that really wasn’t a thing but somehow became a huge thing because everyone needed a dumb distraction. Actually, that about sums up sports in general.

A shared push cart

Local caddies were not used on the LPGA this season, allowing players a chance to use push carts. Or in the cases of Anne van Dam and Sophia Popov, to share one. Popov, who caddied for van Dam the previous week, was in the Marathon Classic field and allowed van Dam to split her high-tech trolly. Better yet, Popov’s high finish at the Marathon conferred an invite to the Women’s British Open, where the 304th-ranked Popov pulled off one of the biggest upsets in major championship history.

Tiger’s stay-at-home Champions dinner photo

The centrepiece was a replica of the Masters trophy. There were dogs looking off-camera and dogs looking at sweets and dogs in general. Tiger’s Miami Vice inspired ensemble. The fact the finest table settings are out for a dinner that appears to be fajitas and sushi. SO many desserts. A glimpse of Tiger’s backyard golf layout, instilling instant envy to those trapped in an apartment, or just general envy for, you know, OWNING A GOLF HOLE IN HIS BACKYARD. As for the quarantine beard … well, we’ve seen worse.

Protein shakes. And fire ants. And broken drivers. And hype videos. And lost balls.

It was a busy year for Bryson.

The post 13 ‘things’ that help tell the story of golf in 2020 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
Welcome to another edition of The Grind where we’re having second thoughts about intermittent fasting. While I’ve lost 10 pounds (Go, me!), Bryson DeChambeau has gained 40. Our golf games, however, are also going in opposite directions. Of course, Bryson’s weight doesn’t come from just stuffing his face (Shout-out to Pablo Sandoval), but from a calculated mix of protein shakes and well, more protein shakes. He could barely put the stuff down even while basking in the glow of his latest win.

So grab some whey and start mixing. We’ve got a lot to get to.

WE’RE BUYING

Bryson DeChambeau: The most talked-about golfer on the PGA Tour since the restart is now the tour’s best player as well. Regardless of weight class. DeChambeau entered the Rocket Mortgage Classic as a huge favourite. He left with a sixth career tour title and a seventh consecutive top 10 since supersizing himself. With his newfound length, the 26-year-old is just taunting golf course architects. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ross,” DeChambeau said referring to Donald Ross. “I didn’t mean to hit it over those bunkers all the time, but it just happened.” Hey, at least the young gun showed some respect by calling him Mr. Ross.

No, DeChambeau is not the first golfer to overpower golf courses (Jack, Tiger, Daly, Gilmore, among others), but no one has taken that focus quite to this extreme. Bryson making the 350-yard drive routine—he averaged 350.6(!) for the week—is like Stephen Curry making the 30-foot shot standard practice in the NBA. You now have to defend against it. And since golfers can’t play defence, their only way to keep up might be to eat up.

Shit just got real @b_dechambeau you better watch out cause this little whippersnapper will be within 75 of you in no time. ??‍ pic.twitter.com/jysRuzSLeD

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) July 6, 2020

And if I ever redo my PGA Tour Content Kings ranking, this guy is going straight to the top. There is always something to talk/write about with him, whether it’s what he’s eating or wearing or saying. DeChambeau may not always endear himself to golf fans, but they are clearly fascinated by him.

Will Zalatoris: Introducing the latest in a long line of Wake Forest golf greats (Go Deacs). Like Bryson on the big boy tour, this young man had strung together an impressive run of high finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour before finally winning at the TPC Colorado Championship. Such an important victory would normally mean we’d see him on the PGA Tour next season, but well, this is not your typical season. With the way he’s rolling, though, the three-win battlefield promotion isn’t out of the question.

.@WillZalatoris' #KornFerryTour results this season …

T4
T23
T34
T9
T26
T6
T3
4th
?

First professional victory @TPC_ColoradoHL.

Earned. pic.twitter.com/REe1gpEbK4

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) July 5, 2020

Tom Brady’s golf swing: It looks like Tom got a swing tip from Phil Mickelson at The Match, because, well, wow:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCV3LhwlgIR/?utm_source=ig_embed

If there’s ever a rematch, Tiger and Peyton might be in trouble.

The Golf Ball Fairy: There’s a small town in Pennsylvania where a mystery person has been leaving golf balls in bulk all over the place. For two years.

Would picking up golf balls on a daily basis be annoying to some? Sure. But think of all the money avid golfers living there have saved!

WE’RE SELLING

Bryson’s detractors: The haterz keep shifting the goal posts as DeChambeau keeps producing strong performances. After he ripped off six consecutive top 10s it was, “Yeah, but he isn’t winning!” After his seventh consecutive top 10 was that precision win, it was, “Yeah, but it was against a weak field and not a major!” I can’t wait until he wins the Masters and people point out August National doesn’t have real rough. It’s almost enough to make me feel bad for the guy. Almost …

Bryson’s cameraman comments: And then DeChambeau did something like this. Complaining about a cameraman doing, well, his job. And then not really apologizing about it after. And then doubling down on the flimsy apology following his win. Not great for the brand. Speaking of which …

Bryson’s Saturday shirt: Bryson wore a shirt with math equations on it. Because he’s THE SCIENTIST. Get it?!

wait wait wait wait wait pic.twitter.com/P7hi6NjitV

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) July 4, 2020

I actually kinda dig how the shirt looks from far away, but this is a bit much. Perhaps, because I never want to think about calculus again.

Matthew Wolff’s Sunday: I also never want to think again about how much money I missed out on because of Wolff’s disappointing final round. But while it’s still fresh, my $10 on Wolff at 125-to-1 odds would have practically covered this summer’s golf trip. However, it wasn’t meant to be as Wolff blew his three-shot lead through 54 holes in about the time it takes Bryson to do a set on the bench press. I’m still a big Wolff fan, but that hurt. Of course, it hurts a bit less when you’ve successfully bet on Webb Simpson and Dustin Johnson the previous two weeks. So don’t feel too sorry for me.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to Dublin, Ohio, for the next two weeks, first for the Workday Charity Open and then for the Memorial. If you’re going to play back-to-back tournaments at the same course, you could do a lot worse than Muirfield Village. And while players are in town, they should go check out the original Wendy’s. On second thought, maybe they should just eat in. As we’ve been reminded many times, Muirfield Village makes a mean milkshake.

Random tournament fact: Bryson DeChambeau won the 2018 Memorial, but he’s not in the field at Muirfield Village this week. That’s good news for his fellow tour pros. And for whoever is making those milkshakes.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Bryson DeChambeau is taking this week off: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds
—Bryson will win the PGA Championship/U.S. Open/Masters: 10-to-1 odds
—Bryson’s fellow tour pros will still be asked about him this week: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Stacy Revere

This drop may have cost me $1,250 as DeChambeau was able to two-putt from the fringe on No. 16 instead of having to hack out of thick rough for his second. Because of a stupid sprinkler head that happened to be near his ball. I’m not bitter about it, though. Not bitter about it at all …

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Well, it finally happened. Ho-sung Choi took one of his crazy swings and … completely whiffed. With a driver. Yikes.

Ho Sung Choi in the final group on the Korean PGA Tour today ? @GolfingWorld @ESPNCaddie @JasonSobelTAN @henrikstenson @EddiePepperell @BeefGolf @golfjuice @GOLFTV @Fehertwit @ESPNGolf @SkySportsGolf @iaincartergolf @brianwacker1 @chambleebrandel @AlanShipnuck @golfjuice pic.twitter.com/t0ZnybH98Y

— Korean Golf News (@KoreanGolfNews) July 4, 2020

Making this clip even more incredible is the fact he was 12 under at the time and playing in the final group. So he’s still a legend in my book.

TWEETS OF THE WEEK

After Francesco Molinari announced he’s moving from the U.K. to California, his golfer half, Tommy Fleetwood, was understandably upset:

?????but you said you’d never leave me!!!!

— Tommy Fleetwood (@TommyFleetwood1) July 2, 2020

And Frankie fired off the perfect response:

There’s always going to be a bed for you! pic.twitter.com/QR9VTA9UnR

— Francesco Molinari (@F_Molinari) July 2, 2020

MOLIWOOD forever. Well, unless you’re a U.S. Ryder Cup captain. Then you definitely don’t want to see this team forever.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

Golf’s ultimate showman—and pitchman—was back at it, this time pushing private jets:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCT8OycDtuW/?utm_source=ig_embed

Maybe if Matt Wolff had won I would have treated myself. Sigh …

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It shows how much time he has on his hands. He needs some kids or something.” —Kevin Kisner on Bryson’s GAINZ. Hey, he’s got a point.

THIS AND THAT

After initially allowing fans for next week’s Memorial, the tournament changed its mind. With everything going on right now, another no-fan event is what they call a no-brainer, folks. … I’m happy to announce the launch of Golf Digest’s new podcast, Local Knowledge, and particularly proud of the work by Daniel Rapaport, Joel Beall, Sam Weinman and Greg Gottfried put into this first episode. Please give it a listen and subscribe:

Yours truly will host the next episode and let’s just say the topic will be juuuuust a tad lighter. … Congrats to Tyler Strafaci on his North & South Amateur win at Pinehurst, which came 81 years after his grandpa, Frank, went back-to-back in the prestigious amateur event. The Strafaci family is better at golf than my family. … And finally, my wife made this fantastic patriotic-themed chocolate pie for July 4:

So at least my family is really good at dessert.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

What does a Bryson DeChambeau “cheat day” look like?
Doesn’t Phil Mickelson have his own private jet?
Would Phil Mickelson mind taking a look at my swing?

The post Bryson DeChambeau destroys another golf course, Tom Brady’s improved golf swing and Brooks/Jena celebrate an important anniversary appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Mike Ehrmann

It also made the day week month for golf fans everywhere. Not since Tiger Woods winning the freaking Masters last year has Golf Twitter been so together, so positive and so downright giddy. Same time, same place next week, guys? Seriously, this Sunday is going to be a real letdown. Anyway, let’s talk about The Match and everything else (still) going on in golf.

WE’RE BUYING

Tiger Woods: It had been nearly 100 days since we saw Tiger playing golf and boy, was it worth the wait. The 15-time major champ looked healthy and locked in, especially off the tee. Check out this absolute stripe show of Woods working it both ways on command:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAprozmHgYC/?utm_source=ig_embed

This guy wasn’t going to lose on his home turf. And he certainly wasn’t going to lose to Phil again. The majors can’t get here soon enough.

Peyton Manning: Why was this so much better than other recent made-for-TV golf events? Because it was so much different than them. Obviously, having two NFL legends compete was the main reason for this, but it was Peyton’s presence that seemed to lighten the mood and continually keep the conversation going. I didn’t think this guy could be any more popular, but then he nearly made a hole-in-one to win the entire country a six-pack of beer. That would have definitely done it. Thanks for the effort, Peyton.

Charles Barkley: We knew he’d be awesome in the booth, because the guy is tougher on players than Johnny Miller ever was. We also knew Barkley would never make bogey on that charity challenge hole. That being said, it was a good effort, and the dramatic/hideous hitch in his swing looked like it was gone, so we’re happy for the Round Mound of Rebound. But if the NBA isn’t coming back for a while, we’d love to hear this guy in the 18th tower more.

Charles Barkley after Tiger smokes a driver, says “that looks just like me.”

“I meant we’re both black.”? https://t.co/e71GZI9DMB

— Mark Harris (@itismarkharris) May 24, 2020

Justin Thomas: The former World No. 1 drew rave reviews for his TV debut as an on-course reporter and rightly so. Thomas was at ease on camera and never overdid it. Of course, it helps when you’re friends with everyone, but his insight and his humour (especially when he called Barkley a “fat ass”) were a refreshing addition to Turner Sports’ coverage. Obviously, JT shouldn’t quit his day job, but when he finally does quit his day job—or just goes into a huge slump—it’s good to know he’s got a gig waiting for him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAog_I1hDpb/?utm_source=ig_embed

WE’RE SELLING

Tom Brady’s raingear: As a Giants fan, there’s a lot I could get on Tom about. His brutal play to start (Was that the worst six holes ever televised? Is Tom a SYSTEM QUARTERBACK?!), him not knowing the rules for taking a drop (He’s never been much of a “rules” guy), and his audio magically going out when he was struggling (Kinda like it does for opposing teams in Foxboro). But I won’t, because I’m a good guy and I appreciate Tom putting his pride on the line to do this for charity, especially with Shot Tracer. I will knock his raingear, though, because it didn’t seem to do him much good. From the rain gloves—don’t wear them if you’re not used to wearing them!—to his pants that split after he finally hit a great shot. Although he may have saved Under Armour’s stock from tanking with this tweet:

Next time I’ll make sure to be wearing my @UAGolf pants ?‍ #LessonLearned https://t.co/GauGM9ZLdl

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 25, 2020

Smooth. Funny, Tom was playing in the Super Bowl the last time a wardrobe malfunction this bad happened.

Concerned tour pros: Add Adam Scott to the list of tour pros worried about playing so soon on the PGA Tour and about the protocols being put in place during these unprecedented times. Scott is a former winner at Colonial, where the season is scheduled to restart next month, but he told the AAP’s Evin Priest he might not return for the first two months. Listen, you can’t blame him. This is a very personal issue for every golfer, and it shows that this won’t be a simple flip-the-switch-back-on situation for the PGA Tour. What we’re really selling here is the angst that every player is going to be facing in the next few weeks.

Kevin Na keeping secrets: I’ve been a huge Kevin Na fan since he came on the Golf Digest Podcast a couple years ago and candidly spilled his guts about everything I asked him. But I’d be worried about him spilling his guts if I were to ever tell him a secret. In an interview with Sky Sports, Na revealed a rumour he’d heard that Tiger Woods will captain Team USA at the 2022 Ryder Cup, and then revealed his source was one of Woods’ friends, just digging his hole even deeper. Kevin is like Elaine opening the vault in Seinfeld—except he doesn’t need any peach Schnapps.

ON TAP

Sadly, not much. I’ll have to find something else to watch on Sunday while I enjoy my chips and salsa. At least for the next couple weeks before the PGA Tour (fingers crossed) returns June 11 for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.

Random tournament fact: Kevin Na is the defending champ of the Charles Schwab Challenge. And he reminded everyone of that with the most adorable TikTok of quarantine:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAbpfuIgXw4/?utm_source=ig_embed

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Charles Barkley will ever play in The Match: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds
—Tiger Woods will ever tell Kevin Na a secret: 10 MILLION-to-1 odds
—Justin Thomas has a future in golf broadcasting: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Love this look at Tiger grinding away in the rain:

Mike Ehrmann

What a legend. Maybe I should practice in the rain? Nah …

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Playing golf with this dude: Tiger, Phil, Peyton and Tom did a lot this weekend to improve golf’s street cred. This guy did not:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAiqa2HnhIf/?utm_source=ig_embed

THIS WEEK IN TOUR PRO PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION

Brooks Koepka and Jena Sims celebrated a big anniversary! Yay!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAljs5Wgpfs/?utm_source=ig_embed

Brooks didn’t post anything commemorating the big occasion. He must still be ticked off about that haircut Jena gave him.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS (NOT NAMED PEYTON OR TOM)

Things really fell apart on 11 pic.twitter.com/l0TNwWIAYJ

— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) May 22, 2020

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Do you want me to use one of my U.S. Open medals?” —Tiger Woods after Phil Mickelson asked him to mark his golf ball. Poor Phil.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAnBnpGFB3n/

THIS AND THAT

The Match was the most viewed golf telecast in cable TV history. No big deal. . . . A signed scorecard from a round at Seminole in which Ben Hogan shot 61 sold at auction for $33,715. Imagine what Hogan’s set of golf clubs from that day would fetch? … Speaking of golf clubs, Justin Rose officially split from Honma. Let’s just say his clubs during that partnership would fetch less than Hogan’s clubs. … Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson and Morgan Pressel will participate in ESPN’s Pro-Athlete All-Star Ride on Peloton this Saturday. Time for all of Rory’s quarantine training to really pay off. … And finally, with a postponed Masters, I needed my personal Amen Corner more than ever this year:

Eat your heart out, Augusta National.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Who will be in the next The Match?
When is the next The Match?
Why didn’t I bet my house on Tiger winning?

The post Tiger Woods’ all-time dagger, Tom Brady’s embarrassing wardrobe malfunction and a TV star is born appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tod Leonard
Four big sports stars and America’s hunger for live sporting events added up to big numbers for Sunday’s The Match: Champions for Charity.

According to a press release distributed on Monday by Turner Sports, the second edition of The Match, with Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning beating Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady 1-up, averaged 5.8 million viewers, though it should be noted it appeared on four platforms—TBS, TNT, TruTV and HLN.

Turner said the number is the largest for a golf audience ever on cable, beating out the previous record of 4.9 million for ESPN’s broadcast of the first round of the 2010 Masters, which was Woods’ return from the scandal he experienced in late 2009.

RELATED: Our six favourite things about The Match II

The Match telecast, which raised $20 million for COVID-19 relief organizations, peaked at 6.3 million from 5:45 p.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern time, as the duos played the front nine in stormy weather at the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. Woods and Manning got out to an early 3-up lead, but Mickelson and Brady scratched back during the modified alternate-shot back nine to get to within one before falling in near-darkness at 18.

The overnight ratings for the show made it the top TV program of the day, with the golf beating out NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on Fox. In ratings, The Match handily bested last week’s TaylorMade Driving Relief, which drew 2.35 million viewers in featuring Rory McIlory and Dustin Johnson defeating Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.

The post Tiger Woods and his superstar accomplices draw big ratings for The Match II appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
Even Super Bowl MVPs hit snap hooks. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning made that abundantly clear on the first tee at Medalist on Sunday, both smothering their opening tee shots of Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Charity into the left junk.

Tone, set. This wasn’t going to be your usual Sunday golf broadcast of flushed shots and vanilla commentary. This was Brady and Manning and Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, and they played a two-on-two match to raise money to fight a global pandemic, talking trash the entire way. Brady couldn’t hit the side of a barn early, and it poured the entire day, and no one took anything too seriously.

It was lovely. A mess, for sure, but a lovely mess. In the end, Woods and Manning reigned supreme on a wet afternoon in South Florida, building a lead in the best-ball portion of the competition and holding on in alternate shot for a 1-up victory. Of course, the real winner on the day—calling the cliché police—was charity, with The Match raising $20 million for COVID-19 relief.

Well, two winners: charity, and those of us who tuned in to the delightfully self-aware broadcast. Organisers clearly learned their lesson from the first time Woods and Mickelson squared off, 18 months ago in Las Vegas, because this sequel beat the original, 6 and 5. Here are six reasons why.

The back-nine intensity
At the turn, Woods and Manning were 3 up. Brady couldn’t find the clubface, Mickelson kept missing greens and it looked like modified alternate shot might devolve into absolute-disaster territory.

But we should know better than to count out Tom Brady. (And Phil Mickelson).

After some comically loose play on the front nine, the match picked up in terms of intensity and quality as the light faded from Medalist. Somehow, the alternate-shot format brought out the best in Brady. After Mickelson drove the green on the par-4 11th, Brady holed the eagle putt to cut their deficit to 2 down. Manning then missed a three-footer for par on 14 and suddenly, he and Woods were just 1 up. Brady and Mickelson stuck their approaches on the par-3 16th inside 10 feet, only for Manning to answer with a dart to three feet and a birdie of his own.

Mike Ehrmann

From then, it was a race to the finish, all four men going peddle-to-the-meddle in their souped-up carts to try to squeeze the round in before sunset. The buddy-buddy stuff faded as it got to crunch time—these are four of the more competitive people on earth—with Phil and Tiger essentially caddieing for their amateur partners, telling them what clubs to hit and where to aim and how a putt should break. No matter the competition, no matter the format, there comes a point where Tiger and Phil remember how bad they want to beat each other.

Mike Ehrmann

Tiger hardly missed a shot
Somewhat lost in all this was the fact that this was Woods’ first televised round of golf since mid-February at Riviera. After that, he pulled out of a bunch of tournaments—including, concerningly, the Players Championship—to rest a sore back. His health was a legitimate question mark as Augusta inched closer. Then the world stopped, and Woods suddenly had a three-month break to get his body back to speed before this.

Here’s the unfortunate reality of these made-for-TV exhibitions: There’s nothing you can do if the pros play terrible. There aren’t other golfers to show. There’s nothing to fill the awkward silences. This was an issue at the first Match, when both Woods and Mickelson played aggressively average. Lucky for us, Woods was anything but average on Sunday.

He hardly missed a shot all day. Like, maybe one. He flushed his irons, and his short game was sharp. But particularly encouraging was his success with the driver, which he controlled with ease. Perhaps we should have expected all this, given Medalist is his home course—he and Phil were playing from the Tiger Tees, and that’s the official name—and Woods was able to buzz around in a cart, which is his preference in casual rounds. Still, Tiger looked healthy and sharp, absolutely swinging it well enough to be a factor when the PGA Tour resumes in a couple weeks. All of a sudden, Augusta can’t come soon enough.

The Tom Brady saga

Mike Ehrmann

Brady, purportedly an 8-ish handicap, played miserably for most of the round. If we were counting them all, he might not have broken 100. His first shot of the day resulted in a lost ball, his approach on the second hole found the water (and he had no idea how to take a routine drop from the penalty area), and both tee shots were foul balls on 3. By the fourth hole, he was asking Charles Barkley for swing advice. That’s lower than low. It was so bleak that Brooks Koepka, also a Medalist member, tweeted that he’d contribute $50,000 to the relief effort if Brady could make a par on the front nine.

And then, out of nowhere, Brady holed out from the fairway on 7 for a most unlikely birdie. For the first time all afternoon, he could talk some smack of his own.

In that moment, Tom Brady—he of six Super Bowl victories and four MVPs and the supermodel wife—was so profoundly relatable. We’ve all been there. You’re playing terribly, you’re the brunt of every joke all day, and then something good happens so you start running your mouth. There was comfort in knowing that no one, not even Tom Brady, is immune from embarrassment on the golf course.

Mike Ehrmann

For good measure, Brady also managed to rip his pants in the worst spot possible, roll in a winning eagle putt in alternate shot and stick a clutch approach to four feet on 16. It wasn’t quite coming back from 28-3 in the Super Bowl, but it was certainly an eventful Sunday.

Justin Thomas rocks the mic
Justin Thomas, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world and himself a member at Medalist, had quite a successful broadcast debut. He’s proved to be a natural—insightful and informative, funny and self-deprecating, all while remembering the golden rule of announcing: less is more. He gave local knowledge, and he told some great stories from partnering with “Mr. Eldrick” at the Presidents Cup.

Thomas also facilitated the best exchange of the broadcast when he asked Mickelson to walk us through his thought process on a chip on the second hole. Mickelson, true to form, relished the opportunity to talk and then nipped a spinner to tap-in range. It was a fascinating peek into the mind of an all-time short-game artist, and it’s also the type of thing the first Tiger-Phil (and last week’s match at Seminole) was missing. Give golf fans the choice of corny trash-talk or legends walking you through their shots, and they’ll choose the tutorials every time.

Thomas wasn’t the only bright spot on the broadcast—Turner struck the right balance all afternoon. They didn’t force betting statistics down our throats as was the case at Shadow Creek. They let Charles Barkley be Charles Barkley (“JT, you can’t call me fat on TV” and “Tiger’s tee shot was like me, in that we are both black”). And their decision to have the four participants plugged into the broadcast paid off, with the in-studio hosts able to seamlessly communicate with the players, and vice versa, giving the broadcast an interactive feel.

Peyton Manning can do little wrong
Call it what you want—charisma, a magnetic personality—but some people simply have it. Peyton Manning is one of those people. It’s no wonder he’s been the commercial king of the past decade, and that networks want him in the broadcast booth so badly. He’s just really funny, and he’s a joy to listen to, and the broadcast did a great job of letting him riff aimlessly.

Mike Ehrmann

He also played much, much better than his rival QB. Apart from a few loose swings early and one missed four-footer for par—which Eli would have never missed, according to Brady—Peyton played steady, birdieing his own ball for a win on 4 and sticking back-to-back approaches off Tiger’s tee balls in the alternate shot. He hit the two most clutch shots of the day: a mid-iron to three feet on 16 when Mickelson and Brady were both in tight, and an approach safely on the green on 18 to all but seal the victory. One has to think The Sherriff played his way into some people’s Dream Foursomes today.

It poured, but Medalist shined
It’s not quite Seminole on the secrecy spectrum, but this was the first time in two decades that Medalist had been spotlighted on a national broadcast. It was ready for its closeup. It’s no wonder the club has emerged as an enclave for the world’s best players—the course looked fantastic. Driveable par 4s, reachable par 5s, tasty par 3s. Holes that turn left and holes that turn right. Well-placed bunkers and visually pleasing shrubbery. Florida golf may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Medalist managed to shine on a sunless day. A fitting venue for an irresistibly fun afternoon. You couldn’t rain on this parade.

The post The Match: The six best moments from a wild—but highly entertaining—event appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

As both golf legends have said numerous times in the past couple years, all Tiger has to do is say “Big picture”—a reference to his three times as many majors and nearly twice as many PGA Tour wins—to get a leg up on Mr. Calves. But during The Match Part II, Woods was able to focus on one major in particular to deliver the dagger of the day.

After Mickelson asked Woods to mark his golf ball before hitting his approach shot on the fifth hole, Tiger gave the perfect response:

“Do you want me to use one of my U.S. Open medals?”

Boom. Roasted.

In case you don’t get the joke or are just in a Memorial Day Weekend haze, Woods was referring to the fact that Mickelson has never won a U.S. Open, finishing runner-up a record six times. Meanwhile, Woods has won the tournament three times. Again, “Big Picture.”

Anyway, here was the exchange that even had Charles Barkley howling in the booth:

Phil’s never won a US Open, so Tiger offered to let him borrow some of his hardware ?

Watch #CapitalOnesTheMatch now on TNT pic.twitter.com/joxbt0bf6c

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 24, 2020

To Phil’s credit, he took it well. At least, until he cries himself to sleep tonight.

The post Tiger Woods hit Phil Mickelson with the best jab of The Match appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.