Phil Mickelson birdied the fourth playoff hole to beat Tiger Woods in their $9 million made-for-TV match Friday in Las Vegas.
Mickelson made a 4-foot birdie putt on a specially set up 93-yard, par 3. The match at Shadow Creek Golf Club finished in the dark with lights set up around the hole.
Mickelson said to Woods after the match: “Just know I will never let you live that down. It’s not the Masters or the U.S. Open, but it is nice to have a little something on you.”
Mickelson was 1 up after 16 holes, but Woods tied it with birdie from the fringe of the green on the par-3 17th. Both birdied the par-5 18th and then parred the first playoff hole before it went to the par-3 extra hole — which was pitch shots off the practice putting green — that they kept playing until there was a winner.
“You couldn’t have made this event any better than it was,” Woods said. “It was back and forth and very competitive on a golf course that was playing on the tricky side.”
Only 700 invited guests were allowed to watch the event billed as golf’s first pay-per-view broadcast. It was marred by technical difficulties with viewers unable to view it on their televisions after paying $19.95. Turner and Bleacher Report representatives sent out links on social media allowing people to view it for free on their computers and mobile devices.
Representatives from Turner didn’t respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment.
The match was billed as a chance for viewers to watch an untraditional golf broadcast as both golfers and their caddies were mic’d up. There was some banter between Woods and Mickelson early on but not much as the stakes increased.
Source: Associated Press
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