Bettors Back Tiger Woods Over Phil Mickelson in Winner-Take-All November 23 Match

Posted on: August 23, 2018, 07:02h. 

Last updated on: August 23, 2018, 07:02h.

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Tiger Woods is receiving the lion’s share of early betting action on his highly anticipated winner-take-all match against Phil Mickelson on November 23 at Las Vegas’ Shadow Creek Golf Course.

Speculation regarding the duel began back in May when Lefty told reporters that he would prefer to “bypass all the ancillary stuff of a tournament and just go head-to-head” against Woods in a “high-stakes, winner-take-all match.”

Now, I don’t know if he wants a piece of me, but I just think it would be something that would be really fun for us to do, and I think there would be a lot of interest,” Mickelson stated. In response, Tiger asked, “How many times have we both won on tour?”

Woods has 79 career victories and 14 majors to Mickelson’s 43 wins and five majors.

After more than three months of rumors, Woods and Mickelson confirmed “The Match” this week. The PPV event will be hosted by MGM Resorts and televised live by WarnerMedia. Pricing for the spectacle will be determined at a later date.

“It’s an opportunity for us to bring golf to the masses in prime time during a period where we don’t have much going on in the world of golf,” Mickelson said Wednesday. “It’s a way to show a side you don’t normally see by having us mic’d up to hear some of the interaction between us.”

Woods Favored

Odds sprouted up following the Mickelson and Woods back and forth in May. They opened at pick’em, but as money came in on Tiger, his line shortened.

The Westgate SuperBook had Woods a slight favorite at -130 in early August. Mickelson was listed at +110. Less than a week later, Phil expanded to +120, and Tiger shortened to -140.

The format will be 18 holes of match play, with a $9 million winner-take-all prize. There will also be side challenges during the round. For instance, Woods and Mickelson will make side bets such as longest drive and closest to the pin on certain holes. A press release announcing “The Match” says those winnings will be donated to the golfer’s charity of choice.

Frenemies Showdown

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have largely been the face of golf for two decades. Now respectively aged 42 and 48, both are far removed from the primes of their illustrious careers.

The two have enjoyed a contentious relationship at times, but have settled their differences to play on numerous Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams. 

Next month, the two will almost certainly team up again on the US Ryder Cup squad. Both didn’t officially qualify with points, but are expected to be two of Jim Furyk’s captain’s picks.

Mickelson said he would hold off on further trash talking for “The Match” until after the Ryder Cup. “I’ve got to be careful because I’m hoping we are teammates in the Ryder Cup and I don’t want to cause a stir yet,” Lefty explained. “But in the first week of October, it will start to heat up.”