It was a wet, soggy day at The Medalist in Hobe Sound, Florida – because it's 2020 and we can't possibly have nice things (like a sunny day for one of the first major live competitions we've seen in months). The first nine holes of "The Match: Champions for Charity" tournament involving Bucs quarterback Tom Brady, two-time Super Bowl Champion Peyton Manning along with their respective partners Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, tee'd off in a best-shot format after a slight delay at about 3:45 p.m. ET.
The first hole, a par 4, was made up of each competitor feeling out the rain and how it altered the course they had been practicing on for the past couple days. Announcer Charles Barkley even said that Brady was running wind sprints in the parking lot after playing a full 18 holes Sunday morning in preparation. Brady's first shot ended up in a puddle in a sand dune, but at least Manning quickly followed it up with a shot into the roughage himself. Stars, they're just like us, right? The foursome went into the second hole tied, both Mickelson and Woods picking up their partner's slack and coming in on par.
From there, it didn't quite go the way Brady would have hoped. Though, it may just be more of an indication that he's been focusing on learning a new playbook rather than his golf game, which all of Tampa Bay is okay with at this point. By the seventh hole, Brady and Mickelson found themselves down three after some bad luck shots by Mickelson and quite a bit of sand on Brady's.
Then, on the 8th hole, after some smack talking and shade thrown by Charles Barkley (plus a $100,000 donation incentive by golfer Brooks Koepka), Brady birdied with an excellent shot that sent Twitter ablaze. Let that be a lesson: never count Tom Brady out.
Retrieving his ball from the hole may have resulted in an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction, but the G.O.A.T. wasn't fazed. He and Mickelson ended the front nine just three back from Woods and Manning.
The game switched to an alternate-shot format for the back nine. On the 11th hole, Mickelson hit a bomb to start and then Brady hit a clutch putt for Eagle to put them within two of Woods and Manning.
Because that's how they roll.
On the 13th hole, Manning left the door wide open after missing a close putt for Mickelson to swoop in and gain a stroke. Unfortunately, the rain got worse and the 'heavy stuff' started coming down. Mickelson missed to preserve the two-stroke separation. Brady did the same on the 14th hole, but Manning also missed another short putt. It was a gift that put Brady and Mickelson now within one stroke with four holes remaining.
They maintained pressure in the 15th hole thanks to a sinker by Mickelson. Brady immediately followed it up with a great shot after Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson offered to chip in 100,000 meals for each player to get within 12 feet of the 16th hole. Three of the four players hit the mark but no change in the score.
View pictures as Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson square off against Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods for another round of 'The Match' for coronavirus relief.
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts on the first green during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers plays his shot from the fourth tee during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers displays his ball during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers putts on the sixth green during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts after holing out from the fairway on the seventh during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers plays a shot from the sand on the seventh hole during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lines up a putt on the sixth green during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers plays his shot from the 11th tee during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: Phil Mickelson reads a putt for NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks on the 17th green during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
HOBE SOUND, FLORIDA - MAY 24: Tiger Woods and former NFL player Peyton Manning celebrate defeating Phil Mickelson and NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the 18th green during The Match: Champions For Charity at Medalist Golf Club on May 24, 2020 in Hobe Sound, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images for The Match)
It indeed came down to the last hole as Brady and Mickelson remained one stroke behind heading into the 18th. The rain had subsided a bit but the wind had picked up making a tricky hole even more complex.
In the end, the 'Comeback Kid' couldn't quite make it happen and Woods and Manning finished victorious, winning by just one stroke.
Throughout the course of the day, there were multiple donations thrown in for hitting various targets from people like Koepka, Barkley, Wilson and even Alex Rodriguez, among others. In all, $19,729,106 was raised, with Turner Sports rounding it up to an even $20 million, all going towards COVID-19 relief, really making us all true winners of The Match.
