This weekend we are being treated to a match of golf between four greats in sports. Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning will take the links against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady, four iconic athletes going up against each other for a good cause. Since we don’t have the PGA Tour, this is as good as it gets for sports bettors and DraftKings Sportsbook is offering two separate pools for the contest. Let’s go over picks for the front-9.
Who will win the match?
- Tiger Woods & Peyton Manning
- Phil Mickelson & Tom Brady
So I’m no expert but luckily I know a few experts who know a lot about golf. Tiger is a member at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. This is essentially Tiger vs. Phil. It’s four-ball for the first nine holes, so the lowest score is what counts at the end of the round. If Brady and Manning tank, then it won’t matter so long as Phil and/or Tiger show up. Since Woods is a member and has been in better form than Phil on the Tour the past few seasons, I’m going with them.
What will the outcome of the first hole be?
- Tiger-Peyton win
- Hole is halved
- Phil-Brady win
It’s really a toss up for this one. We don’t know if either pro will come out firing, though I’ll give Tiger the edge due to his familiarity with the course.
Which team will go 2 up first?
- Tiger-Peyton win
- Neither team goes 2 up
- Phil-Brady win
Again, I’m going to lean Tiger-Peyton for most of these knowing that Manning probably gets more golf in than Brady since he’s retired. Woods knows the course better and had been golfing better than Mickelson during the PGA Tour.
Hole 3: Who will hit the longer tee shot?
- Tiger Woods
- Phil Mickelson
So Hole 3 is a Par 5, 554 yards and is pretty straight forward. This seems like a hole you can just bomb it down the fairway, then go one more shot before trying to sink a putt or a chip. Since it’s straight forward, I’ll give the edge to Phil. He had a much higher average driving distance than Woods last PGA season and both players should be rested.
Hole 13: Who will hit the longer tee shot?
- Peyton Manning
- Tom Brady
This is a tough one because I know both Brady and Manning golf but I’m not sure how well. Manning has been in retirement for a while now and probably plays a decent amount. He also likely hasn’t been lifting weights much, though that doesn’t tell the whole story in driving. Technique will come into play. Brady has the conditioning edge and is the ultimate competitor. My initial guess would be Manning in this one.
Hole 4: Nearest to the hole after tee shot?
- Tiger Woods
- Phil Mickelson
- Peyton Manning
- Tom Brady
- No golfer hits onto the green
I would be shocked if either Manning or Brady ends up winning this, so it’s tough to trust either. Really, the only reason I’d pick either is for leverage in the pool if one of them does do it. Hole 4 is a Par 3, 190 yards — basically a straight shot onto the green. There’s a massive sand hazard between the tee and the green, so not the easiest of holes. I’d lean Phil on this one for his approach.
Will any golfer hit a hole in one?
- Yes
- No
Crazier things have happened, but I’d still lean no on this one.
Leader after 3 holes?
- Tiger-Manning
- Tie
- Phil-Brady
Could see a tie here since the front-9 is four-ball, so it should basically just be Tiger vs. Phil on the front-9.
Leader after 6 holes?
- Tiger-Manning
- Tie
- Phil-Brady
Same sort of thought process for the first question, I like Woods-Manning to win the front-9, so would lean that way. Tiger knows the course better and I think Manning will have an edge on Brady.
Leader after 9 holes?
- Tiger-Manning
- Tie
- Phil-Brady
Same deal.
Will either team make an eagle in the match?
- Yes
- No
I’m going to say yes because this course doesn’t look all that difficult. So when considering we have Tiger and Phil — two legendary golfers — you’d think one of them can pull off an eagle on the front-9. That Par 3, Hole 4 seems pretty simple and there are a lot of cookie cutter Par 4s in this course.
First golfer to his a ball in the water?
- Tiger Woods
- Peyton Manning
- Phil Mickelson
- Tom Brady
- No one
I’m picking Brady for the lawls. I’d like nothing more than to see Brady be the first one in the drink out of this group. Really, you’d think it’s between Manning and Brady, that Phil and Tiger won’t do that on an easy course like this.
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