(CBSNewYork/CBS Local) — The Match: Champions For Charity is officially on, though the specifics remain fuzzy. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will compete at a yet-to-be-determined time, on a yet-to-be-determined course under a yet-to-be-determined set of rules. We do know that the sport will be golf and all donations and fundraising will benefit COVID-19 relief.
The event has been rumored since last month, and was announced Wednesday afternoon. The date will likely be some time in mid-to-late May, the course will probably be in Florida and the matchup seems destined to be Woods-Brady vs. Mickelson-Manning. Confirmation is forthcoming, and all plans depend on official approval from the proper authorities.
Woods and Mickelson matched up over Thanksgiving a year and a half ago at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. Mickelson prevailed after a four-hole playoff to take home $9 million. This year’s event, which could be the first major sporting event since coronavirus put all sports on indefinite hold, will serve a more worthy cause.
Tiger and Phil, two of golf’s best ever, have been competing against each other on the PGA Tour for decades. They have 20 major championships and 126 Tour wins between them. Their teammates in this charity event — Brady and Manning — have their own storied history of gridiron accomplishments, with eight Super Bowl titles between them.
If the possible May dates hold, the event is likely to be the first major sporting event during the pandemic. A significant sports-starved viewing audience will likely tune in, though in-person viewing may very well be limited to participants and those necessary to stage and broadcast the event.
The implementation of the needed social distancing measures could create a template, or best practices, for other sporting events to follow. At the very least, such attempts will help the PGA Tour when (if) it resumes in June with the Charles Schwab Challenge.
The Match: Champions For Charity, if the parties involved manage to pull it off, will provide some hope that a post-quarantine world is within reach. And late May is only a month away. The circumstances that would allow this event to happen, however, seem much further off. But at least it’s something.
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