Report: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson Planning $10 Million Match For Prime-Time TV
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tiger Woods may be the 67th-best golfer on the planet according to the World Golf Rankings. But there's no denying he's still the sport's No. 1 draw.
That's why, according to Golf.com's Alan Shipnuck, an unnamed major television network came very close to getting Woods and Phil Mickelson to square off in a winner-take-all, $10 million match on July 3. Though that match could not be agreed upon in time, Shipnuck reported Friday that both the Woods and Mickelson camps "remain committed to making it happen as soon as it's feasible."
Mickelson confirmed to Shipnuck that the involved parties are "working on a different date."
Longtime golf fans will of course recall Woods dabbling in made-for-TV, prime-time golf before. In 1999, Woods took on David Duval, and in 2000 he faced Sergio Garcia. In 2001, Woods was paired with Annika Sorenstam in a doubles match against Duval and Karrie Webb.
The tradition was kept on through 2005, and was briefly brought back in 2012 for a Woods/Rory McIlroy showdown.
But with Woods on the comeback trail, and with Mickelson playing some great golf at age 48 (U.S. Open putting notwithstanding), the time is ripe for two of the biggest names from the past 20 years in golf to meet once again under the bright lights of prime time.
Mickelson worked some salesmanship into his conversation with Shipnuck, saying both players will be mic'd up for the event.
"You will hear a lot of the comments that you don't hear on regular TV," Mickelson said. "We both like to talk smack, and we both have fun with what we're doing. And the fact that this isn't an official tournament, that it's just a head-to-head match, you'll hear some of the little nuances, some of the little things that you don't normally pick up."