Tiger vs Phil: Multi-million dollar match confirmed for November

Tiger vs Phil is happening this November as the two confirm big money head-to-head match in Las Vegas.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson is the match-up we were expecting thanks to months of talks and teasers about the idea, and now the winner-takes-all match has been confirmed to be taking place on Friday 23rd November at Shadow Creek Golf Course, according to ESPN. 

Woods posted the announcement on twitter on Wednesday, simply tweeting a picture of the pair and the words ‘It’s on’. 

Mickelson, who was finally persuaded on to twitter earlier in the day, responded to the 14-time major champion Woods with a quick quip as the duo entered in to an exchange on the social media platform to promote the event.

Phil: “I bet you think this is the easiest $9M you will ever make”

Tiger: “Think you will earn some bragging rights?” responded Tiger

Phil: “Let’s do this #TigerVsPhil“

Mickelson was quick to notice too that in the picture, Woods has been given a left-handed driver… (oops!)

He wrote, “@TigerWoods I see you have a left-handed driver, well played. I hope it’s a Callaway”

The long-time rivals have seen their relationship improve over the last few years, and after realising there was an appetite among fans for a head-to-head contest, the pair decided to give it serious though.

And now, Woods and Mickelson have confirmed that they will play an18-hole matchplay format, with a large focus on interaction.

“It’s an opportunity for us to bring golf to the masses in prime time during a period where we don’t have much going on in the world of golf,” Mickelson said after his pro-am at The Northern Trust on Wednesday.

“It’s a way to show a side you don’t normally see by having us miked up to hear some of the interaction between us.

“With only two guys, we should have a total different experience with fans, because we will have smaller galleries that won’t necessarily have ropes that can walk inside the fairway and up near the greens. We’ll have mics on both us and our caddies and you’ll be able to hear all of the banter as well as commentating that will be more interactive.

“The idea is not just to have this great match but to have this interactive experience so fans can see something that they’ve never seen in televised golf before.”

Asked if they will end up sharing the money, Mickelson said: “I think if you [don’t] do that, it undermines it. The whole point is the winner-take-all thing. That’s the exciting part about it.”

While earlier reports indicated the pair would be playing for $10million, Phil’s response makes it appear it will no be for $9million dollars – likely decreased so that it was lower than the $10million prize money awarded to the winner of the Fed Ex Cup.

It’s unclear as yet how viewers in the UK will be able to watch, but will be a pay-per-view broadcast on Turner’s B/R Live in the USA, which is the company’s new premium live sports streaming service.

As reported by Golf Digest, a press release from Turner indicates there could be some side challenges throughout the 18-hole head to head.

“For instance, Woods or Mickelson could raise the stakes by challenging the other to a long-drive, closest-to-the-pin or similar competition during a hole as they play their match, with money being donated to the winning golfer’s charity of choice,” reported Golf Digest.