Golf match's real winner was COVID-19 relief

Golf match's real winner was COVID-19 relief
                        

When did you ever see Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. more nervous than he was last Sunday on the first tee of The Match: Champions for Charity golf exhibition?

Had he only known seven holes later in the rain-soaked affair he would split his pants after holing a wedge from 100 yards out for his only birdie of the day, no doubt that might have wrecked his emotions even more.

Somehow the soon-to-be 43-year-old, six-time Super Bowl-champion quarterback now of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, survived the live, made-for-TV special. To think he and teammate Phil Mickelson nearly pulled off one of those TB12-patented late comebacks against Eldrick (Tiger) Woods and Peyton Manning.

Yes, it was getting dark at The Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida, but who wasn’t rooting for overtime?

With an impressive $20 million and myriad additional contributions raised for COVID-19 relief efforts, the Woods-Manning tandem emerged a one-up victor in the innovative showdown that has almost everyone wondering when the sequel — or something similar — will be contested.

After all, with Woods and Mickelson now tied in such concoctions with one victory apiece, shouldn’t there be a rubber match? Dare we suggest the Firestone Country Club in Akron (the Rubber Capital of the World) might make for the archetypical venue?

Cue the blimp!

Last Sunday’s wretched weather in the Sunshine State never allowed Goodyear’s illustrious dirigible to get airborne. Yet the sporadic drenchings hardly seemed to deter the participants, a collection of dyed-in-the-wool troopers that included the Turner broadcast team members. Everyone appeared hell-bent on filling four hours of air time come Charles Barkley or high water. The camera shots of rain dripping off Woods’ cap were priceless as he and his cohorts tooled around solo in their miniature arks.

So what if the front-nine action, played under a best ball format, did get the program off to a sluggish start? Mickelson did enough coaching of his partner, and Manning did enough good-natured trash-talking to his QB counterpart, to keep the audience engaged. Tiger, meanwhile, never missed the fairway, nor would he all afternoon long.

It was during the modified alternating-shots scheme on the back nine that play zipped along more quickly and the drama built to near-tournament level.

Brady, who otherwise had enacted some fairly mortifying golf much of the round, still managed to do what he always does in a competitive event: steal the show. Immediately after being chided by Barkley, the GOAT ripped — boy did he ever — the gem on No. 7 that landed just shy of the pin and spun backward right into the middle of the cup. The wardrobe malfunction was about to occur.

It was revealed afterward that the football icon went behind some commercial signage to slip into his rain pants in order to keep the broadcast moving.

Brady later would tweet, "Pants wanted in on social distancing I guess."

As time goes on, it will be easy to remember Brady’s stroke of genius. Come New Year’s Eve, when everyone looks back at the sports highlights of 2020, the replay will be replayed over and over and over and … a lot. Frankly, the video of a split-pants Brady bending over to retrieve his golf ball from the cup may be indicative of the nature of televised sports throughout the coronavirus-shanked year.

One can’t help but ponder what other memories TB will make in Florida by year’s end.

On the subject of pants, it was fun to see Woods, Mickelson and Manning all wearing shorts. They looked like a bunch of neighborhood hacks just out for a relaxing round.

Tiger did show up in his typical “Sunday red” shirt, though. Not to be overlooked was the fact he played publicly for the first time in three months, ending his longest layoff since recovering from spinal fusion surgery in 2017.

If there was any actual behind-the-scenes wagering going on, well, we didn’t see any of that.

In addition to the headliners, others got involved through various forms of social media. Perhaps most prominent was Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. On the par-three 16th hole, Wilson offered to donate 100,000 free meals to those in need should any of the four golfers hit their tee shot to within 5 feet of the flag. Somewhat ironically, only Tiger, at ease on his home course, landed outside the target area. Wilson generously donated 300,000 meals.

All in all The Match left us all hungering for more.


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