Team GolfXYZ
Never has golf needed or looked forward to two non-events like the ones slated for May 17 and May 24. It will feature four legends of modern golf, who between them have 25 Majors, countless PGA Tour events, and have made more money amongst themselves than the GDP’s of many a small country. Add to them two NFL football legends, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and it is a ‘star-studded’ affair.
As competitive golf continues to stay on hold since March 15, for two Sundays, May 17 and May 24, it will be a case of golf before golf. And ‘Golf made for TV’. And it will be a test case for golf which is scheduled to make a competitive return on June 11.
The two Sundays will see “Made for TV” blockbusters, and the main competition, too, will return to a “fan-free” TV event.
The two competitions are:
May 17: Rory McIlroy (4 Majors) and Dustin Johnson (1 Major) taking on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in the TaylorMade Driving Relief Fund clash at the Seminole Golf Club.
May 24: Tiger Woods (15 Majors) and NFL quarterbackPeyton Manning take in Phil Mickelson (5 Majors) and NFL quarter back Tom Brady in the Capital One’s “The Match: Champions for Charity” golf exhibition.
TaylorMade Driving Relief Fund
May 17: Rory McIlroy (4 Majors) and Dustin Johnson (1 Major) taking on Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in the TaylorMade Driving Relief Fund clash at the Seminole Golf Club.
Two-time FedExCup champion and four-time Major winner and current world No. 1 Rory McIlroy will pair with 20-time PGA TOUR winner Johnson against people’s favorite Rickie Fowler and young gun, Matt Wolff on May 17 for TaylorMade Driving Relief – a $3 million charity skins match to raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts. All four players are TaylorMade Ambassadors.
The pair, McIlroy and DJ admitted that they had once thought of pairing up for the team event at New Orleans. McIlroy told NBC, “It was funny, DJ rang me up the week after THE PLAYERS Championship when he was out on his boat and he said, ‘Hey, if the New Orleans tournament happens, would you want to be partners?’”
“And I was like, ‘Yeah sure. I’m not sure if it is going to happen but if it does, yeah, that would be fun.’ We didn’t get a chance to do it there, but we’re getting the chance to do it at Seminole in a couple weeks’ time and that’s going to be fun.”
It was something they seriously considered, but the pandemic put paid to that possibility.
McIlroy has finished inside the Top-5 in 10 of his last 11 worldwide starts with two wins before the pandemic.
Fowler and Wolff are Oklahoma State University alumni. Fowler has won multiple times on PGA Tour and 2019 NCAA Champion Wolff was first-time TOUR winner in 2019.
The competition will follow strict CDC social distancing guidelines, local mandates and will utilize appropriate testing measures to help protect the health and safety of the golfers, production crew and others on site.
Additionally, Farmers Insurance has pledged $1 million to back a birdies-and-eagle pool to benefit ‘Off Their Plate’, a charitable organization helping COVID-19 healthcare workers and impacted frontline shift employees.
The clash will take place at Seminole Golf Club (Juno Beach, Florida and it will be covered live on NBC, GOLF Channel, NBCSN, Sky Sports and other PGA TOUR global media partners.
Capital One’s “The Match: Champions for Charity” golf exhibition.
May 24: Tiger Woods (15 Majors) and NFL quarterbackPeyton Manning take in Phil Mickelson (5 Majors) and NFL quarter back Tom Brady in the Capital One’s “The Match: Champions for Charity” golf exhibition.
Turner Sports will present Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Charity, a blockbuster live golf competition headlined Woods and Mickelson returning for a rematch, this time joined by Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, two of the NFL’s greatest players of all time.
The premier sports event will be simulcast exclusively on TNT, TBS, truTV and HLN – will be held Sunday, May 24, at 2 p.m. ET.
Associated with the live telecast, WarnerMedia and the golfers will collectively make a charitable donation of $10 million to benefit COVID-19 relief. As part of the fundraising efforts, the competition will also include a partnership with the ALL IN Challenge, along with additional on-course competitive challenges for charity.
Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Charity, a sanctioned PGA TOUR event, will be held at the prestigious Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida.
Opened in 1995, the renowned course acts as the home course to many PGA TOUR players including Tiger Woods. In preparation for the event, tournament organizers are working with state and local government and public health officials on competition and production logistics to ensure the event follows safety and health protocols.
The competition will feature Woods and Manning vs. Mickelson and Brady, facing off in a Best Ball format on the front nine and a Modified Alternate Shot format on the back nine. The unique combination of formats is aimed to provide an entertaining mix of strategy, team collaboration and consequence to nearly every shot. As part of the competitive play, there will also be a set of on-course challenges to raise additional charitable funds.
The media agreement with WarnerMedia and Turner Sports was completed in partnership between Excel Sports Management and Lagardère Sports. Excel, which represents both Woods and Manning, and Lagardère Sports, which represents Mickelson, are also the tournament organizers.
Woods and Mickelson previously faced off in Capital One’s The Match in November 2018 at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. Tied following 18 holes, Mickelson won on the fourth playoff hole.
