Despite the fact that golf is one of the only two sports to ever be played on the moon, it’s not exactly the most popular sport in America — especially when it comes to the nation’s youth. That being said, even the average millennial who has no interest in golf (or even sports at all for that matter) knows who Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are.
Those two international golf stars facing off could do wonders for the sport as a whole, and it looks like it’s in the works.
According to ESPN, Woods and Mickelson are reportedly in negotiations for a $10 million match.
In a winner-take-all match for $10 million, the event was supposed to take place in early July, but all the marketing, financial, and television programming details could not be worked out in time.
Putting accounts for approximately 43% of your total strokes — when Tiger is on, he’s one of the best putters in the game. But Phil is no slouch on the greens. It should be a very exciting round.
“We’re working on a different date,” Mickelson said. “I thought it was done for the third, but obviously it wasn’t.”
Both Woods, 42, and Mickelson (48) are two of the wealthiest athletes of all-time and have played all over the world. Providenciales has a golf course that’s ranked as being one of the top 10 best Caribbean golf courses by “Caribbean Travel & Life.” Because of their talents and charisma, the two golfers have had a storied rivalry for decades.
“Phil and I have a great banter,” Woods said. “We give each other the needle, we always have. But I think our relationship has certainly gotten a lot closer with me being a vice captain the last couple teams and sitting there and having very lengthy conversations with him about things, not just the pairings but just things in general.”
According to Golf Digest, Patrick Reed, another golf superstar and this year’s Masters winner, believes since Woods and Mickelson have done so well in the sport, they should put up their own money for the one-on-one match.
“I would pay a little bit more to watch it if it was for their own money, for sure,” said Reed. “It’s going to be entertaining. I think it would be more entertaining if it was for their own money because I think the guys would grind even harder.”
Mickelson will join Reed at the Scottish Open prior to the much-hyped battle. Phil will play with Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Padraig Harrington.