The Medalist Front Nine: A breakdown of the course for The Match and how to bet it

As The Match: Champions for Charity gets ready for tomorrow, we reached out to a friend of ours that has played this course hundreds of times. He’s basically grown up there, and knows every break in every green and can play it without a yardage finder with no problem.

So he was generous enough to give a hole-by-hole description of every spot on the course, and we’ll use that ultra-local knowledge to try and make a few bucks on the prop bets available

The Medalist hole-by-hole: Front Nine

#1: Par 4

For Woods and Mickelson, #1 is one of the longest opening Par 4’s you can play at sea-level. The round begins with a monstrous 499 yard Par 4. This tee shot has a 280 yard forced carry over a marsh which is situated just west of the clubhouse. Despite the eye-popping yardage, the tee shot plays downwind to a firm, wide fairway. Do not be surprised if Woods and Mickelson have a mid- or short-iron into the green.

For Manning and Brady, #1 is a straight forward opening hole that typically plays downwind. It’s a straight Par 4 that requires a fairway wood or long-iron off the tee, then a short-iron into a relatively flat green that slightly runs away from you.

Props bets to consider

It’s possible that someone won’t have to be hitting driver here, so you might want to take Brady at +100 over Manning at -125 for the longest drive. Holes where one player is hitting a utility club and someone else a driver can help level the field here.

#2: Par 4

SUCH A TOUGH HOLE! The tee shot on this long, downwind, dogleg-right is all about position. The ideal shot shape is left to right into a semi-blind landing area. The fairway runs out of room quickly down the left side, but a miss to the right is DEAD. Despite the length, it is safer to take a 3-wood off the tee. If you avoid the trouble, you should see a mid-iron into a flat green.

#3: Par 5

The tee shot on the first Par 5 calls for a left-to-right shape. There is a long, narrow bunker down the right side and a bunch of scrub palms that line the left side of the fairway. A tee shot into the bunker makes it a three-shot hole, but a tee shot into the scrub palms can result in a lost ball. A good tee shot can result in a chance to reach in 2 with long-iron into a small green. Eagle is unlikely, but it is possible.

Props bets to consider

Since this shot shape is left-to-right, that could favor a nice high draw from the left-handed Mickelson. He’s +105 to have the longest drive on this hole against -134 for Woods, so this could be a great spot to get plus money here.

#4: Par 3

The most severe green on the golf course. This shot is like hitting a mid-iron into a right-to-left crosswind and onto a green shaped like a football helmet. There are severe drop-offs on both sides, but right is a better miss, because the bunker on the left side is more than 10 feet below the green’s surface.

Props bets to consider

The yardage here is 190, and if there’s a golfer on the planet more likely to try and slam-dunk the pin on a green like this than Mickelson, we’ve yet to meet them. We’ll take him to tuck it in at +175, ahead of Tiger at +125, Peyton at +600, and Brady at +650

#5: Par 4

The “one club” hole. Expect mid-irons to be selected. There will be a forced carry over a marsh. The green is pretty narrow and pretty severely sloped.

Props bets to consider:

Tiger Woods was the first player ever to start using 3-woods around the fringe. His creativity is one of the best parts of his game, and that’ll help here as all players will only be using one club. We’ll take Woods & Manning at -134 with tie no bet over Mickelson and Brady at +110.

#6: Par 4

Typically downwind, this is a long Par 4 with a slight dogleg to the right and a very wide fairway. A good tee shot leaves you with a mid-iron into a green that slopes severely to the left side.

#7: Par 5

A Par 5 that is reachable with a long-iron if you hit a good drive between the fairway bunkers lining this fairway. A left-to-right crosswind on this hole makes every shot a little more uncomfortable. A small-ish, firm green that is well-protected by two greenside bunkers. Tough to get it close enough for eagle, but this is definitely a birdie hole.

#8: Par 3

A long Par-3 with a narrow, severely-sloped green that plays straight into the teeth of the wind. Merely standing on this tee is intimidating. With a long-iron in hand, you are staring at a water hazard and a greenside bunker that run down the right side. However, left isn’t an easy up-and-down. Usually playing from below the surface of the green, the green runs away from the player...straight back toward the bunker and water.

Props bets to consider:

A tough, tough Par-3 probably means taking only Woods at +125 and Mickelson at +175 is likely the play. Tiger might know this course better, and some local knowledge here helps. We’ll go with Woods to putt last of the foursome.

#9: Par 4

A long Par 4 with a slight dogleg left that plays over 230+ yards of marsh and straight into the wind. At least the fairway is pretty wide. You should have a mid- to long-iron into a relatively flat green with smaller, subtle breaks that is protected by a greenside bunker to the right.

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