Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson reminded us Sunday what we have missed the past two months. The Match: Champions for Charity provided an entertaining afternoon of live golf.
Woods and Manning held off Mickelson and Brady, winning 1 up, in the rain at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. In truth, everyone won.
The match raised $20 million for several organizations assisting with COVID-19 relief efforts, Will Gray of Golf Channel reports.
“It’s great, the fact that we all came together and we were able to raise $20 million for those that have been so severely affected,” Woods said, via Gray. “This is our arena. This is what we do. We couldn’t imagine going out onto the field and doing what they do.”
Brady, whose golf game screams amateur who plays a charity event every now and again, took some good-natured ribbing on social media from Sean Payton and others. With the players wearing earpieces and microphones, Charles Barkley taunted Brady during the broadcast.
Brady answered with the shot of the day, holing out from the fairway on No. 7.
“Take a suck of that, Chuck,” Brady said to Barkley. “Shut your mouth, Chuck. Take a load of that medicine. Get your butt out of here. That’s what I needed.”
Brady also split his pants on the shot.
“Well, there was so much torque in my swing,” Brady said.
Woods and Manning won three of the first six holes but had to hang on for the win after Brady and Mickelson got within 1.
“I know Tom and I were kind of comparing notes and feelings to each other,” Manning said. “To go behind the ropes in these guys’ world and kind of be in the arena with them, it was a really special experience. I was not comfortable the entire time, from the first tee all the way down here.”