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Charity Golf Matches with Woods, Mickelson, McIlroy, Johnson Aim to Satisfy Fans’ Thirst for Live Action

PGA Tour golf is still a month away, but to fill the time, professionals are participating in two charity golf matches in the next two weeks. Both the TaylorMade Driving Relief Skins Game and The Match: Champions for Charity will raise funds to help fight the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson will play in one of two charity golf matches that will be held before the PGA Tour season resumes on June 11. (Image: Getty)

The details and the odds for both exhibitions have both recently been disclosed. The skins game will happen first and take place on Sunday, May 17 at  Seminole Golf Club, in Juno Beach, Florida. The event will Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson competing against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.

The Match will take place the following Sunday at Hobe Sound, Florida, and feature Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning playing against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady. This event is a spin-off from the first similarly titled event two years ago that featured Woods against Mickelson.

Charity Golf Matches Appetizer for PGA Tour

These will be the first live golf competitions featuring star PGA Tour players since The Players Championship was canceled on March 13 after just one round of play. The tour will resume its tournament schedule on June 11 with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. No fans will be allowed at the event and other details regarding safety measures for the golfers and other essential personnel will be revealed next week.

Before that event, however, golf fans will be able to watch both of the exhibition matches. The skins game will be televised by NBC and the Golf Channel, as well as Sky Sports. TNT and TBS will be showing The Match.

McIlroy and Johnson are the favorites in the skins competition, but the price varies at different sportsbooks.

Skins Game Odds

Golfers SuperBook USA William Hill Circa
McIlroy/Johnson -200 -210 -180
Fowler/Wolff +175 +180 +180

McIlroy is the No. 1 golfer according to the Official World Golf Rankings, while Johnson is No. 5. Fowler, who is No. 27, told NBC Sports that he knows he and partner Wolff, who is ranked No. 110, are underdogs, but remains optimistic they can win.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Fowler said. “Actually seeing some fan reaction saying how much of a favorite Rory and DJ are. So Matt and I are going into this as underdogs. We’re ready to bring the upset.”

Trash Talk Rampant between Woods, Mickelson

The banter between Woods and Mickelson was pitiful in the first exhibition, held the day after Thanksgiving in 2018. If the pre-match banter is any indication of what we’ll see at their next event, it should be infinitely more entertaining.

Just like the first edition, Woods is the favorite in the sequel. Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk management at the Westgate’s SuperBook USA said in April that Woods/Manning would be a -150 favorite. Since then, however, the odds have increased in their favor to -200.

The Match II Odds

Golfers SuperBook USA Bovada BetMGM
Woods/Manning -200 -230 -200
Mickelson/Brady +175 +175 +150

Mickelson, who started the trash talk when the event was announced last month, piled on when he displayed the trophy from his first match against Woods during a recent video chat. Woods countered by donning his Masters jacket from his victory at Augusta National last year.