It’s been a turbulent year in men’s professional golf. Like, tighten your seatbelt, beverage service is cancelled.
The disruption to the established order by Saudi-backed, Greg Norman-led LIV — whose first event took place during the week of the return of the RBC Canadian Open — has taken over the game’s news cycle and hangs over each PGA Tour event, especially the majors.
For the most part, the biggest names in the sport remain loyal, and vocally so, towards the PGA Tour. Four of them are teeing it up Saturday in the latest edition of The Match, including Tiger Woods — and golf fans should be so thankful.
Woods, who continues to recover from injuries suffered in a horrific car accident in early 2021, is set to join forces with Rory McIlroy to take on 2022 PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and three-time major champ Jordan Spieth.
Thomas, in a pre-event media availability, admitted the childhood pals are likely 1-down already with respect to trash talk — “I feel like on the first tee Jordan and I just need to get it out in the open that, ‘OK, you guys have more majors than us, more FedEx Cups than us, you both have an airplane and we don’t’” — but since the duo went 4-0 at September’s Presidents Cup, the odds are nearly even (Sports Interaction has Woods/McIlroy at -122 while Thomas/Spieth are -114).
Most people will likely be tuning in to see Woods, however. A Christmas miracle.
Woods was supposed to tee it up at the Hero World Challenge last week — a limited-field event he hosts — but had to withdraw due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. After The Match, he’s aiming to play the PNC Championship alongside his son Charlie next weekend since the participants can ride carts in both events.
“I can hit golf balls. It’s just hard getting from point A to B, so (the cart) will certainly help a lot,” said Woods. “When I was trying to gear up and be able to play in the (Hero World Challenge) and see if I could actually do it, the walking part was the challenge, it wasn’t actually swinging.”
So, we have a 2022 major champion in Thomas and an all-time modern great in Spieth (“We call him the ‘Golden Child,’” said Woods) up against the game’s best player in McIlroy and a bit of a broken-down Woods.
Woods was the first to admit he might play second fiddle to McIlroy, who is coming off a 2022 campaign that saw him win the top season-long prize on both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour).
“I can tell you one thing: I’ve got the No. 1 player in the world on my team, so I’m good,” Woods said. “He’ll have the best cheerleader he’s ever had.”
But he’s still Tiger Woods. He’s been in front of the world with a club in his hand since he was two, won on every level and as time’s gone by, he’s been described as both good and evil. Although his physical presence week in and week out has weened over the last few years (“Rory is a true leader out here on Tour,” said Woods last week) his voice is as strong as ever.
Golf cart and bum knee (and foot and ankle and back and…) and all, he’s arguably the reason why the triumvirate of McIlroy, Thomas and Spieth are even playing the game right now.
“We want to win it because of how much these two inspired us,” said Spieth. “It’s a unique and really cool opportunity for us to try to take down a couple of the greats… a couple of the greatest that ever played.”
Regardless of what’s happened over the past 12 months in the men’s game, Saturday — in prime time, and featuring Tiger Woods — will be a smooth ride.
TALE OF THE TAPE
The Match between Woods/McIlroy and Thomas/Spieth will be a best ball, 12-hole exhibition under the lights at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.
Each player will play his own ball, and the best individual score from each team will count for the hole.
The Match is set to raise money for Hurricane Ian relief efforts, with more than $33 million raised for charity via the previous six editions.
Hole Nos. 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9 will also feature various challenges like closest-to-the-hole, hole-in-one, and a “one-club” challenge.
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