Wet and wild in Florida for Tiger and Phil
TORRENTIAL Florida rain greeted Tiger Woods’ return to the limelight yesterday as he took part in a charity match alongside his old adversary, Phil Mickelson. Woods looked fit and healthy as he arrived at his home club, the Medalist, near West Palm Beach. It was the first time he had been seen on a golf course since the Genesis Invitational in midFebruary where, after shooting a final-round 77, he complained of a sore back and duly pulled out of two Florida events before the lockdown in March. ‘How I feel now is like night and day to how I felt then,’ he said, although his mood must have been dampened by the atrocious weather. The entire course looked under water, with a poor forecast for the rest of the day as the players prepared to get underway last night. The last time Woods and Mickelson met each other in a made-for-TV match, it was tawdry even by the standards of host city Las Vegas. Mickelson played badly and still walked away with $9million. Now, there was $10m on the line but all of it going to various Covid-19 relief charities. This time, they have a pair of playing partners every bit as famous as themselves. In Tiger’s corner was superstar NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, while Tom Brady, winner of a record six Super Bowls, was with Mickelson. The format was nine holes of fourballs followed by nine holes of greensomes (alternate shots after the drive). All four players were also due to play one hole using only one club.