Six Reasons Why Tiger’s ‘Next Dance’ is Must-See TV
By Travelin’ Joe Passov Big-time exhibition golf matches date back to ancient times—well before Old Tom Morris grew his first beard. This Sunday, May 24, Tiger Woods will make his 11th appearance since 1999 in one of these made-for-TV extravaganzas. His results are decidedly mixed. Rory McIlroy edged him back-to-back in China in 2012 and 2013. Tiger is winless in Skins Games. Eighteen months ago, Phil Mickelson snatched away $9 million from him in the floodlit darkness of Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. OK, Tiger has won his fair share as well. But we all know it’s not the same Tiger. The Tiger who awes us, the guy we can’t turn away from, is the Tiger who competes at tournament golf, for history, like no one else. As “The Last Dance” reminded us that there is no greater competitor and no greater champion in basketball as Michael Jordan, Tiger’s 2018 Tour Championship win, his 2019 Masters title and his record-tying 82nd PGA Tour win in Japan last fall remind us that when it comes to competitive golf, Tiger is in a class by himself, as a competitor and a champion. Why we would sit, enthralled, even as Tiger owned a six-shot lead with two holes to go in countless tournaments, was to appreciate the pinnacle of golf performance. With Tiger free from injuries in 2018 and 2019, we were able to appreciate it all over again—the physical prowess and the mental dominance. Stories of a “softer” Tiger accompanied his comeback, with increased friendliness towards his fellow Tour players, more patience with the media, more acceptance of himself. That may be true, but Tony Finau recently set the record straight about Tiger’s demeanor when he was back in the hunt. Finau was paired with Tiger for the final round of the 2019 Masters. It was a dream come true for Finau to play with his childhood idol on such a significant stage. Finau told GOLFTV last December that he and Woods shared “Good luck’s’ on the first tee…and then crickets, nothing, until the 7th. “We get to hole seven, I’m walking off the tee, we’re right next to each other so I figure I better say ‘hi’ or something to him,” said Finau. “I said ‘Hey, Tiger, how’s the family? How’s the kids?’ And he looked at me pretty straight-faced and he said, ‘They’re good.’ And he kept walking, and I never talked to him again until I was congratulating him on the 18th green.” That’s the Tiger Woods that thrills us. As MJ was in NBA hoops, Tiger was the cold-blooded assassin in competition. The 2019 season showed us he still is. So why should we tune in to TNT Network on Sunday, May 24 for Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Charity—an exhibition, to be sure? Here are six great reasons to watch. It’s all for charity. In conjunction with the live telecast, WarnerMedia and the golfers will collectively contribute a minimum charitable donation of $10 million to benefit COVID-19 relief. In addition, there will be more donation opportunities through the ALL IN Challenge. For instance, with a $10 entry fee, a lucky player can win a putting lesson with Tiger and a VIP experience at the 2020 Hero World Challenge in The Bahamas. There will also be on-course competitive challenges within the match, whether a long-drive hole, or a one-club-only hole. You have to feel good watching—and supporting—this cause. It’s Tiger vs. Phil, Part II The two greatest golfers of our era are also the two most competitive golfers of our era—and that extends to the volume of trash-talk from the pair. During a televised promotional appearance for the Match, Phil made sure Tiger could see the trophy he earned for winning the head-to-head Las Vegas event in 2018. Woods responded by grinning and draping the green jacket for his 2019 Masters win over himself. Mickelson volleyed back this past week, telling Golfweek, I can’t wait to go to Tiger’s place and take him down. Tiger thinks he has a huge advantage playing there because he was insistent that this event is played on his home course. Despite everyone else wanting to play it elsewhere. That’s fine. We’ll take it to him and Peyton.” This should be a wonderful war of words. It’s Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady, Part 18 Two of the greatest NFL quarterbacks in history, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, take a backseat to no one in the competitiveness department. Although Brady led Manning on the gridiron, with 11 wins to Peyton’s six, remember that those were team endeavors. On the course and off, their competitive fires burn furiously. Manning, who will partner Tiger, has posted a handicap index as low as 3.5. These days, it hovers around 6.4, with impressive rounds at some of the clubs he belongs to, such Augusta National and Cherry Hills. His competitive zeal is legendary, as is his own trash-talking. He once offered to buy dinner for the New York Giants entire defense if they would stop Brady from breaking his league record for touchdown passes in the final game of the season. Alas, Brady prevailed. On another occasion, Tiger asked Manning while they were paired on the golf course what the difference was between the offenses on Peyton’s old team, the Colts, versus his new team, the Broncos. Manning responded, “Tiger, it’s really similar. The hardest thing for me right now is that ‘McIlroy’ is on one, and ‘Tiger’ is on two.” Woods responded to the good-natured trash-talk by overtaking McIlroy the following month. Most significantly, Manning could have retired at 35, wealthy and legendary, but chose a brutal rehab to a serious neck injury for a risky return to football. He won his second Super Bowl the next year. Brady is no slouch when it comes to competitive juices. He sports an 8.1 handicap at clubs such as Seminole and The Country Club (Brookline) in Boston. PGA Tour golfer Ricky Barnes played with Brady as his
