Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Bryan Armen Graham

Phil Mickelson outlasts Tiger Woods over 22 holes to win The Match – as it happened

Phil Mickelson finally seals victory on the 22nd hole.
Phil Mickelson finally seals victory on the 22nd hole. Photograph: Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports

“My heart can’t take much more,” Mickelson says. More than once. We’re a bit overwhelmed, too. So we’ll keep things short. For those keeping track Mickelson won three of four side bets, bringing in $600k for three closest-to-the-pin wagers after losing $200k for failing to birdie the first hole. So Lefty’s overall haul is $9.6m, if we’re being thorough.

Thanks as always for following along with us and be sure to follow the post-match press conference below.

Phil Mickelson wins The Match on the 22nd hole!

And he sinks it! Mickelson is the winner of Capital One’s The Match under the lights, bringing home a $9m payday! It took 22 holes but we’ve finally proven ... well, I’m not entirely sure. That will probably become clear later, like the French Revolution.

Updated

Woods leaves his eight-footer short. Badly short, really. And Mickelson has a putt from 4ft 2in for a $9m windfall ...

Third time’s the charm for Woods, who hits to inside eight feet on the 22nd hole. Mickelson is even better, hitting it to inside four.

And Mickelson misses! That leaves Woods with a seven-footer to extend the match to a 22nd hole and Mickelson gives him the putt (!?) in case you were wonder how badly either of these guys needs the money.

Tiger hits first again on the 21st hole and it’s long again, close to the bunker but only two feet from the fringe. Mickelson then hits it to six feet. Woods chips to about seven feet from the hole and now Mickelson will have another makeable putt for the match, $9m and the championship belt.

Updated

And Mickelson misses by inches! Woods gives it away, another good-good concession. And we’ll play it again: Round 21 forthcoming.

Woods’ first shot sails a dozen yards past the hole. It caroms off a spectator, taking a bit of a fortuitous bounce in the general direction of the pin. Mickelson’s shot lands on the far side of the green but spins back toward the hole. Woods then chips to within a couple of feet, leaving Mickelson with a 20-foot putt for $9m and the match ...

The 20th is a makeshift 93-yard hole. They’ll be hitting off a freshly shaved putting green. And they’ll play this hole over and over as long as it takes until there’s a winner. We’ve been losing daylight for some time but there are plenty of floodlights around this hole (and they’ve already been switched on).

And Woods misses from eight feet! We’re heading for the 20th hole!

Updated

Woods sends his tee shot off the 500-yard par five left of the fairway into the rough. He’ll face a 236-yard approach shot. Mickelson’s tee shot is into the fairway. But after Tiger lays up about 100 yards from the pin, Phil dumps his approach into the greenside bunker and not far from the water. Oh boy. Woods puts his third shot right on the green and eight feet from the hole for birdie. Mickelson arrives at the bunker realizing his ball is plugged. Advantage: Tiger. Mickelson gets it on the green but with no spin it rolls about 32 foot past the hole. Squeaky bum time. Mickelson misses and Woods concedes, leaving Tiger with a $9m putt from eight feet ...

Extra holes format

Here’s the extra holes format that will settle today’s match.

  • They’ll play the 18th hole again.
  • If still all square, they’ll play the ‘20th hole’, a 93-yard par three not far from the clubhouse.
  • They will continue to play the sudden-death ‘20th hole’ until there is a winner.

All square after 18!

Tiger in the fairway and Phil in the rough after their drives on the 500-yard, par-five 18th. Mickelson hits an approach to 32 feet, while Tiger strikes a 6-iron past the green that settles on the fringe. Tim Mickelson, Phil’s caddie, begging his brother to let him drop an expletive because “it’s pay-per-view!” Cool. Woods with a long downhill putt from the fringe that runs about five feet past the pin. Now Mickelson can win the $9m match from 32 feet ... but the eagle putt drifts wide. Woods now facing a five-foot putt for birdie and he drains it, then he concedes Mickelson’s three-and-a-half-foot putt. We’re headed to overtime!

Woods A/S Mickelson (17)

Mickelson, who predicted he would clinch the match on the par-three 17th, has the opportunity to do just that. And Phil hits a gorgeous first shot to within 12 feet of the pin. Woods almost does him one better, hitting the pin before it settles about a dozen feet away on the fringe. Woods chips it from the difficult lie toward the flag and it rolls into the cup for birdie. Wow! “Like old times, fellas!” he says. Now Mickelson, who thought he had a putt to win the match, needs to make just to keep his margin. And Lefty just misses it! All square heading to the 18th hole! Capital One’s The Match is lit!

Updated

No 16 is a marathon par five: 626 yards. Both of them rip massive drives down the fairway. Woods nearly reaches the green on his approach but it settles in a bunker. Mickelson sends it past the green, continuing a theme. Phil saves par after a scratchy flop shot, then Tiger misses a 15-foot birdie put that would have squared the match by at least a foot. “I haven’t hit a good putt yet today,” Tiger says. Mickelson is in front heading to the 17th and if he wins that hole, he wins the $9m.

Woods v Mickelson 1UP (15)

Woods and Mickelson both split the fairway on No 15, a 467-yard par four. This could be getting good. Then Phil sends one flying into the “crowd” and Tiger is way short and dangerously close to an artificial creek. Both scramble for makeable par putts, but Woods’ is the tougher one from about eight feet below the hole. Tiger barely misses and gives the hole to Phil, who’s 1UP with three holes to go. The putt was peppered with a ‘Baba Booey’, which is curious given the lack of paid ticketholders.

Updated

A bit of haggling on the 14th tee ends with a $100k side bet for longest drive. And ... they both dump them into the bunker. Perfect. Woods saves beautifully and so does Mickelson: they both have makeable putts for birdie! We’ve been waiting for shots like that all day. Big moment in the match. Mickelson’s putt just kisses the left edge of the cup and Woods concedes the gimme. Now Tiger will have a 10-foot putt to take the lead. And the put creeps toward the hole before missing by a hair to the left. All square with four holes to go.

Updated

Woods A/S Mickelson (13)

More side action: $300k for closest to the pin on the par-three 13th. Woods gets it to within 15 feet of the hole but Mickelson is even closer. Phil is now a perfect three-for-three on closest to the pin wagers for a total of $600k (to charity!). Then Phil makes birdie and they’re all square after 13. Lucrative hole for Lefty.

Also, about those nightmares we’ve been hearing about the Bleacher Report broadcast ...

Updated

1UP Woods v Mickelson (12)

Woods finds the fairway with a gorgeous 321-yard drive on the 394-yard, par-four 12th. Mickelson makes his first mistake off the tee, sending a loose shot into right along the right side. One thing golf fans have to be thankful for is the commentators routinely speaking over the conversations between the players and their caddies. Why would we want to hear any of their shop talk? Woods then hits a wedge to within a foot of the cup and Mickelson will have a long birdie putt just to match him. He misses from distance, another good-good concession follows and Tiger is in front for the first time today.

Woods A/S Mickelson (11)

Both send their drives on the 284-yard, par-four 11th into the rough. Mickelson challenges Woods: $200k if either of them chip in for eagle. OK, then. Woods has a slightly easier shot and puts it within a couple feet of the pin. Mickelson concedes it and will have a birdie putt from about 20 feet to stay in the lead. Phil sends it wide right and we are all square after 11 holes. Tiger has won two holes with birdies, Phil has won two holes with pars.

Updated

Both find the fairway on the 438-yard, par-four 10th. They’re a bit less accurate on the approach with Woods sailing left of the green and Mickelson on the green but far right of the pin. Woods chips close and cans a shortie for par. Mickelson putts to within eight feet and sinks it to halve the hole. Phil remains 1UP through 10 holes. The most interesting banter continues to happen off the course.

This extended half-time break isn’t doing much to nudge along the pace of play. Here’s where we stand through nine.

Another sidebet offered by Mickelson on the par-four ninth: $100k if either of them hole it for eagle. “Why don’t we add another zero on it?” Phil asks. “I’m going to side-sauce one in from the right.” Lovely. It’s initially unclear if Woods accepts but Mickelson confirms it’s a million-dollar wager after both send their drives into the fairway. The pin is located inside a funnel, so there’s a better-than-normal chance to hole out from the fairway. Still looking at a very long iron about. Woods approach shot from 143 yards sails long ... way long. Mickelson is short. Way short. Right on the beach! He’ll have a hard time saving par from the bunker. “I just want America to know that this is some crappy golf,” says Charles Barkley, coming in hot from the booth. “Y’all know that.”

Woods gets close to the pin from about 90 feet and Mickelson digs nicely from the bunker and they’ll both have short putts for par. Woods makes his attempt, then Lefty follows suit. They’ve halved another and Phil is 1UP at the turn.

Updated

Woods v Mickelson 1UP (8)

Tiger offers up another side bet: closest to the pin on the par-three eighth for $200k. Mickelson quickly accepts. Woods hits a 7-iron to the green that rolls back about 40 feet. Mickelson’s shot is nearly identical but stops about a foot closer. Phil’s sidebet haul swells to $300k (on two bets) compared to $200k for Tiger (on one). Aspirational stuff. Mickelson’s putt goes long and Woods leaves his about 10 feet short then lips a shortie. Mickelson gives him the bogey, which leaves him with a short putt for par and the lead. And Mickelson drains it to nose back ahead.

Updated

Woods A/S Mickelson (7)

Woods offers up a wager, $200k for low score on the hole, after splitting the seventh fairway. Mickelson initially refuses, then asks for 3-2 odds on the 557-yard par five. Woods says no. “As good as you’re swinging?” Tiger pleads, to which Phil responds: “It’s intimidating, I know.” Mickelson then sends a 3-wood into the right bunker. Woods reaches the green, then lags a 60-footer leaving a tap-in for birdie. Mickelson sends his second shot from one bunker into another and needs to hole out from there to halve the hole. Not even close. We’re all square after seven.

Updated

Both split the fairway with 340-yard drives on the 516-yard, par-four sixth hole. Both hit tidy approach shots to within about a dozen feet of the pin. Both two-putt to halve another hole and Mickelson remains 1UP.

We’ve got a side bet: $100,000 for closest to the pin on the par-three fifth. Mickelson goes first and his tee shot nearly drops in before rolling to within 10 feet of the cup. Woods follows and pushes it about 40 feet to the right. That’s a cool $100k to Lefty (or, as we’re told, to charity) and he’ll have a nice chance for a 2UP lead. Woods putts to within about eight feet. Lefty then leaves a 10-footer for the win short, tapping in for par. Tiger sinks from there to halve the fifth and Mickelson remains 1UP.

Tiger Woods looks for the green.
Tiger Woods looks for the green. Photograph: Christian Petersen/Getty Images for The Match

Updated

Another Woods drive sails awry on No 4, landing right of the fairway. Mickelson, on the other hand, remains perfect off the tee, splitting the fairway of the a 564-yard par five. Seems like we’ve been sold a false bill of goods on side bets and trash talk as there been none of the former since the press conference and nothing at all of the latter. After a decent approach Woods hits a wedge from 107 yards to within four feet of the cup. What a shot. Mickelson chips to about the same distance and the players remain square after a good-good concession.

Updated

“I can’t get over how cool this is,” Woods says. “How frickin’ fun it is it.” This is literally moments before he wipes his drive behind some trees on the par-four, 467-yard third. Not sure whether it’s Woods or Mickelson breathing like Tony Soprano directly into the microphone, but it’s given a bit of a Lynchian overtone to the affair. Mickelson hits a clean drive and a tidy approach to about 20 feet, two-putting from there. Woods scrambles for par, recovering nicely to about 35 yards and two-putting to halve the hole. Woods looking shaky early.

Woods v Mickelson 1UP (2)

Tiger and Phil both find the fairway on the par-four, 430-yard second. Lots of heavy breathing in the mics as Phil tells a story about Fred Couples. Mickelson puts his approach shot just short of the green while Woods sends it a bit far. Mickelson’s chip shot rolls six feet past the hole, but he’s able to drain for par. Tiger’s par putt from three looks good ... but it rims out! Oh dear. Mickelson takes the early lead after two. “I’ve never seen him miss one of those,” Phil says.

Mickelson is first to tee off the first, a 379-yard par four, following a warm introduction from Samuel L Jackson. Remember: there’s a $200,000 side bet between the players that Mickelson birdies this hole He splits the fairway with an iron. Jackson then introduces Woods and he promptly rips one into the rough. Both reach the green with their approach shots and have 12-foot putts for birdie. Woods misses his first and concedes the hole, but the side bet is on the line for Mickelson. He lines it up and misses it just left. That’s a spicy meatball. We’re all square after one and Mickelson is $200k in the red. “The first hole played out exactly how I thought it would until the putt didn’t go in,” says the miked-up Mickelson on the walk to the second.

Updated

“Tiger and Phil, head to head, in a payday for the ages,” commentator Ernie Johnson says. Now they’ve cut to a promo featuring a number of boxers and UFC folk discussing the aura of pay-per-view: Tyson, De La Hoya, Deontay Wilder, Chuck Liddell, et al.

“It takes years of practice to be able to put that ball in that hole,” Floyd Mayweather says, urgently.

Oh boy.

It’s time for the coin toss! They’re flipping a poker chip on the first tee. Mickelson wins and decides to hit first.

Updated

Preamble

The wait is over. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are minutes away from teeing off in their $9m winner-take-all match at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. It’s not quite Mayweather v McGregor, but at least the $20 price tag won’t hurt as much in the pocket.

Woods and Mickelson, the two richest and most decorated golfers of their generation, rank first and second on the career money leaderboard (with $112.2m and $87.6m respectively), with Woods having won 14 major titles and 79 tournaments compared to five majors and 42 tour wins for Mickelson. They will play 18 holes of match play, meaning each hole is scored individually with the winner of each receiving a point. Whoever has the most points at the end will be declared the winner, collecting $9m (reportedly ponied up by Turner) and whatever else they make in sidebets along the way.

We should be under way any minute now with the players having just finished up on the range.

Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s our Ewan Murray’s take on today’s winner-take-all showdown.

Removing the whiff of vulgarity will be no mean feat as “The Match” tees off on Friday in Las Vegas. Those already offended by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson playing off in an exhibition match that cannot even be deemed glorified will not have been placated by the promotional images of them surrounded by bundles of banknotes that emerged in recent days. Harry Enfield’s Loadsamoney immediately sprung to mind. Enfield was at least garish as a comedy routine as opposed to partaking in a tawdry marketing exercise.

With Samuel L Jackson joining Charles Barkley as part of the coverage team, US residents will be charged $20 should they choose to take in this matchplay contest, in which participants will wear microphones, the public cannot gain entry and $9m (almost £7m) is available to the winner. That pot was reduced by $1m after a quiet appeal by the PGA Tour, keen to protect the, ahem, authenticity of its FedEx Cup playoffs bonus.

It was revealed this week that side-bets between the players, running heavily into six figures, will also be in play. Unlike the prize fund, this at least is the competitors’ own money.

The imminent American explosion in sports gambling is an important subplot as, indeed, is whether two of the game’s biggest names should be so publicly advocating an occasionally problematic concept. Golf should be careful, given in theory it was wide open to betting manipulation even before legislation began to break down on the other side of the Atlantic. Mickelson’s penchant for a bet is legendary; his role in the Billy Walters inside-trading scandal such that he, too, should be treading warily.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
“David shook my hand and said, ‘Here’s the song I want to do.’ It was Golden Years. I was auditioning during the making of the album”: Bassist George Murray’s six-year stint with David Bowie
As a member of Bowie’s band, George Murray cut the studio albums Station to Station, Low, Heroes, Lodger, and Scary Monsters
Guitar World
Guitar World
Biodegradable Mardi Gras beads help make Carnival season more sustainable
It is Carnival season in New Orleans
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
'Don't Call Them The Twins Or The Girls In Front Of Clients.' Former Employee Shares What Working With Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen Is Really Like
That’s Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to you.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
How Mickey Rourke Would Look Today Without His Dramatic Cosmetic Procedures
Viral AI images revealed a "natural" Mickey Rourke, sparking debate over boxing damage, botched surgeries, and his current financial crisis.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
This Week In Weird Rumors Adam Sandler Says The Internet Made Up: A Story About Chanel And His Kid
The viral Chanel story has been making the rounds online...
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
MrBeast’s iconic counting challenge gets a new twist as YouTuber Lets Test Laurence aims for 100,001
A YouTuber named Lets Test Laurence is trying to beat MrBeast’s early viral counting challenge by live streaming himself counting to 100,001. MrBeast’s original 2017 video helped launch his career and later gained millions of views. Laurence’s attempt is being streamed live, adding pressure and uncertainty. The challenge highlights how…
The Times of India
The Times of India
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play