That the soundbite that will forever be identified with The Match emanated from a basketball star, rather than Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson, rather sums things up. “America,” boomed Charles Barkley. “You are watching some really crappy golf.”
It wasn’t just America, more’s the pity, and Barkley’s point was overstated in respect of the millions of hackers who take to the fairways week on week but his underlying sentiment was perfectly fair. Woods versus Mickelson, the pay-per-view extravaganza worth $9m (£7m) to the winner, fell flat largely because neither player hit anything like the heights they are capable of even in this, the back nine of their careers. Not crappy, just scrappy.
Under floodlights, from a makeshift tee built on a practice putting green in Las Vegas, Mickelson prevailed at the fourth extra hole of this matchplay joust. That Woods immediately exited stage left before reappearing for what approached a prize ceremony – Mickelson took delivery of a gaudy belt alongside bundles of cash – suggested the 14-times major winner was with the vocal majority and content this farrago was over.
“Everyone certainly had their way of looking at the match and everyone was entitled to it,” Woods said. “We were there to play head-to-head and do something that’s never been done before; lo and behold, here we are going to extra holes and we’re under the lights. You couldn’t have made this event any better than it was. We were going back and forth. Phil had the lead, I had the lead. It was back and forth, very competitive, on a course that was playing a little bit on the tricky side.”
Woods’s any better assertion was, of course, nonsense, if inevitable. Some of the competition’s failings were not the fault of Woods and Mickelson, albeit their willingness to partake in a game for such an exorbitant sum caused offence in the first place. The incessant links to gambling, including from the players themselves and at a time when sports betting is about to explode in the US, were in poor taste. In a typical competition environment, the PGA Tour prohibits members from gambling; mixed messages were at play here.
Neither Woods nor Mickelson is funny. They are at the level of stardom whereby people laugh at their words, regardless. Playing The Match while wearing microphones was insightful for those interested in shot processes and interaction between player and caddie, even if that was frequently ruined by over-eager broadcasters. Beyond that, the banter was horrendously stunted. Woods, who indulges in on-course profanity as standard, either knew how to stay off air or was seriously restrained.
“This meant a lot to me,” said Mickelson. “In the big picture nothing is going to detract from the career and accomplishments he’s had. For me to have a little something on him like this means a lot to me.”
For all his vehement competitive instincts, it really is difficult to see Woods being burdened for long by this defeat.
The broad commercial success of this venture is not yet known. We should be under no illusions that if the numbers work Woods and Mickelson will try this again, regardless of how naff it looks. There was embarrassment for organisers after a live stream encountered technical problems; The Match duly appeared for free on the Bleacher Report. Earlier, customers had been charged $19.99 for the privilege. Failure to secure a pay-per-view market in the UK meant Sky Sports Golf took ownership of the encounter at the last minute: it showed.
Ominously, given his troubles of the not-so distant past, Woods appeared far from comfortable, physically, at times. This marked a first on-course appearance since his disappointing efforts at the Ryder Cup, a scenario at least explained by the efforts of winning in Atlanta just a few days before. The 42-year-old did at least deliver one marquee Last Vegas moment, with a brilliant chip-in from a hazardous lie behind the 17th green. “Like old times,” said Woods, somehow managing to keep a straight face. In old times he won Green Jackets, not belts.
That accessory, incidentally, wouldn’t fit around Mickelson’s waist. Barkley had the right idea.
