Mickelson pockets fortune
Phil Mickelson birdied the fourth playoff hole to beat Tiger Woods in their US$9 million (NZ$13.5m) made-for-TV match yesterday.
Mickelson made a four-foot birdie putt on a specially set up 93-yard par-three. 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 US 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-three 17th hole. Both birdied the par-five 18th and then parred the first playoff hole before it went to the par-three extra hole 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.’’
There was some banter between Woods and Mickelson early on but not much as the stakes increased.
Mickelson said on the 15th hole to Woods that ‘‘I’m trying to be more talkative but I’m not on this back nine’’.
Woods understood and responded that they were going back to their old mode of ‘‘trying to beat each other’s brains in’’.
The most revealing moment on the front nine happened after Woods missed a four-foot par putt on the second hole to give Mickelson an early advantage.
‘‘I was half a second from giving him that putt because he always makes those,’’ Mickelson said to his brother, Tim, who was his caddie.
Mickelson was 1 up through the front nine before Woods seized the lead with birdies on the par-four 11th and 12th holes. Mickelson then squared it with a birdie on the par-three 13th and retook the lead when Woods bogeyed the par-four 15th.
Woods tied it with birdie from the fringe of the green on the parthree 17th. Both birdied the parfive 18th and then parred the first playoff hole before it went to the par-three extra hole – which was pitch shots off the practice putting green – that they kept playing until there was a winner.
After he birdied the 17th, Woods said to caddie Joe LaCava ‘‘just like old times, buddy’’.
Mickelson also said it was like old times for him against Woods after that trademark shot.
‘‘You’ve been doing that to me for 20 years, I don’t know why I am surprised now,’’ he said.
Mickelson also had the advantage in challenge bets. Woods won the first challenge for US$200,000 when Mickelson didn’t birdie the first hole. Mickelson won the next three, which were closest-to-thepin challenges on par-three holes, which totalled US$600,000.
Both said they couldn’t see challenge bets become a part of regular PGA Tour events.
‘‘Maybe at matchplay you could but that might not be the best thing,’’ Mickelson said. ‘‘I think it added to the competition. It had that flavour of a Tuesday practice round with more at stake.’’
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 US viewers unable to view it on their televisions after paying US$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.