Golf

Capital One's The Match returns Saturday night for its seventh iteration. The Match VII doesn't feature non-golf athletes as past events have, but it should be wildly entertaining nonetheless.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will team up to battle Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in a 12-hole, best-ball contest. Bragging rights will be on the line, as well as a chance to earn a lot of charity donations.

As with past editions of The Match, this one is designed to benefit a good cause. The Match VII will serve as a platform for Hurricane Ian relief efforts.

From the Warner Bros. Discovery press release:

"WBD Sports has televised six editions of Capital One’s The Match, raising nearly $33 million for various charitable organizations and has donated more than 27 million meals through Feeding America. The upcoming installment of the event will serve as a platform to benefit Hurricane Ian relief efforts after the devastating effects of the storm on the Gulf Coast and its surrounding communities."

While there is no prize purse for winning the event, teams can earn charity donations through a series of challenges that will take place throughout the round. Below, you'll find a look at those challenges and the money payouts, along with all of the information you need to catch The Match VII.

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Capital One's The Match VII

Who: Woods/McIlroy vs. Spieth/Thomas

Where: Pelican Golf Course in Belleair, Florida

When: Saturday, 10 December

TV: TNT, TBS, truTV and HLN

Time: Coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET, with the Hot Seat Press Conference Presented by Capital One airing at 5:30 p.m. ET on the B/R App.

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Challenges and Charity Distribution

Woods and McIlroy will be competing to best Thomas and Spieth, and vice versa. However, both teams will be playing to earn charity dollars via the following challenges.

Hole 3 will feature the DraftKings Sportsbook Closest to the Hole challenge, with a payout of up to $1.1 million.

Hole 9 will feature the UnitedHealthcare Closest to the Hole Challenge. On the closest-to-the-hole challenges, $1 million will be donated on that team's behalf for a hole-in-one. $500,000 will be donated if a shot is placed within five feet of the hole. If no shot comes within five feet, $250,000 will be donated on behalf of the player who is closest to the hole.

An additional $100,000 will be donated if all four golfers make it onto the green on their opening shot.

Hole 4 will feature the Capital One Club Challenge. For this challenge, a $500,000 donation will be made for the team that wins the hole. An additional $250,000 will be donated for each team that scores a birdie.

Hole 5 will feature the USAA Hole in One Challenge, with a potential payout of $2.5 million.

Hole 8 will feature the Tito's Handmade Vodka Hole in One Challenge. $2.5 million will be donated on behalf of a team if it makes a hole-in-one. If no hole-in-one is made, $250,000 will still be donated on behalf of the winning team.

Plenty of money will be donated over the course of Saturday's event, and while holes-in-one are extremely rare, it will be something for fans to root for. They'll also get to cheer on four of the world's best golfers in what should be a very even match.

Thomas and Spieth are slight favorites for the event, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Their team carries -125 odds, meaning a bet of $125 will earn a $100 payout. Woods and McIlroy are ever-so-slight underdogs at +105 (bet $100 to win $105), but things should be relatively even.

Yes, Woods is 46, is dealing with a foot injury and hasn't played in a high-level tournament since missing the cut at the Open Championship in July. However, he's still a spirited competitor and has the world's top-ranked golfer in his corner.

"I've got the No. 1 player in the world on my team so I'm good," Woods said in a press conference.

Expect The Match VII to feature a tight race, a lot of quality golf, a little bit of trash talk and potentially millions going to a good cause. Most importantly, expect it to be a heck of a lot of fun.

The latest edition of Capital One's The Match is slated to take place on Saturday evening under the lights at Pelican Golf Course.

Like other iterations of The Match, this event will be for charity, serving as a platform for Hurricane Ian relief efforts. Unlike recent entries in the series, it won't feature celebrity athletes from other sports.

The Match VII is strictly a golfer showcase, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy facing off against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

Thomas and Spieth are the favorites, which isn't a major surprise. While Woods is a PGA legend, he hasn't competed in a high-level tournament since missing the cut at the Open Championship, and he's not at 100 percent. But do Thomas and Spieth actually have the edge in this best-ball competition?

Let's take a look.

Capital One's The Match VII

Who: Woods/McIlroy vs. Spieth/Thomas

Where: Pelican Golf Course in Belleair, Florida

When: Saturday, 10 December

Time: 6 p.m. ET

TV: TNT, TBS, truTV and HLN

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Odds (from DraftKings)

Thomas/Spieth -125 (bet $125 to win $100)

Woods/McIlroy +105 (bet $100 to win $105)

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At first blush, Thomas and Spieth do appear to be the better team. The two longtime friends know one another's game well, and both have been competing at extremely high levels.

According to the PGA world rankings, Spieth is the 14th-best golfer in the world right now, while Thomas is ranked eighth. Fans can expect this team to attack the open Pelican course with power and long-ball accuracy.

The other factor to consider is Woods' health. The 46-year-old is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, an issue that recently caused him to withdraw from the Hero World Challenge.

However, Woods has insisted that the injury won't inhibit his ability to play golf.

"I can hit the golf ball and hit whatever shot you want, I just cant walk ... Only time can heal this one." pic.twitter.com/WeKqThcSnU

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) November 29, 2022

Since The Match is a cart-assisted event, difficulty walking won't be an issue for Woods.

Woods will also be experimenting with a new ball at The Match, which could help him hang with Thomas and Spieth in the power department. He'll be changing his ball from the Bridgestone Tour B XS to a Tour B X.

"I'm experimenting with the Tour B X to get a little more pop," Woods said through Bridgestone (h/t Max Schreiber of Golf Channel). "Based on the situation, I have different preferences, and it’s great that Bridgestone has multiple balls right off the shelf that I can play."

If the ball change allows Woods to even the odds a bit off the tee, his prowess in the short game and on the green will be a significant factor for his team.

Oh, and Woods will be playing with the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, McIlroy. This is big because of the best-ball format. Only the lowest score for each team will be counted on each hole.

Hypothetically, Woods could play a terrible round and still win as long as McIlroy outdoes Thomas and Spieth more often than he doesn't.

The Match is only a 12-hole event, so a couple of hole wins and several ties may be enough to decide the outcome.

While Thomas and Spieth are the more well-rounded team, Mcilroy is the best all-around golfer in this competition. The format actually gives him and Woods a slight edge, even if the oddsmakers are discounting Woods coming in.

The prediction here is that Mcilroy wins just enough holes to deliver a victory, though it won't be a shock to see Woods steal one or two on the green. Expect it to be a tight race, however, that lasts the full 12 holes.

There isn't a true underdog here, and the play should be close enough that the result isn't in the books early.

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Capital One's The Match is back for its seventh iteration. While casual fans may not be as excited about this edition as past ones—it doesn't feature non-PGA athletes like Peyton Manning or Stephen Curry—golf purists should be thrilled.

PGA legend Tiger Woods is back for his third appearance in The Match, and he'll be paired with the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, Rory McIlroy. They'll face off against the team of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

While The Match VII doesn't carry the novelty of an NFL quarterback duel—the last edition pitted Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen—it should still be a ton of fun.

Woods is notorious for being one of the top competitors in the sport, and he's very familiar with McIlroy. The two co-founded TMRW Sports. Thomas and Spieth, meanwhile, are longtime friends.

All four participants have faced off on the PGA tour.

Fans can expect a lot of quality golf, some tight competition and, likely, a fair bit of trash talk. Here's what you need to know.

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Capital One's The Match VII

Who: Woods/McIlroy vs. Spieth/Thomas

Where: Pelican Golf Course in Belleair, Florida

When: Saturday, 10 December

Time: 6 p.m. ET

TV: TNT, TBS, truTV and HLN

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Odds (from FanDuel):

Spieth/Thomas -125 (bet $125 to win $100)

Woods/McIlroy +100 (bet $100 to win $100)

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Format and Rules

One interesting aspect of The Match VII is that it will be played at night. Pelican Golf Course features an open environment, which is perfect for temporary lighting and a prime-time event.

"The way the golf course is laid out, I would call it a parkland, especially the back nine,” said Justin Sheehan, Pelican's director of golf, per Jeff Eisenband of PGATour.com. “It's pretty open. We have minimal rough, so it's got a really nice big open feel, which is why it's so good for a tournament. It's easier than most golf courses would be to put light trucks in place. We're not going through woods and marshes and tons of water.”

The Match will also feature custom golf carts, which should help Woods, who withdrew from last month's Hero World Challenge with plantar fasciitis.

The Match carts are 🔥

See them in more detail: https://t.co/YUKo8XOakA pic.twitter.com/6WC1UAph5X

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) December 5, 2022

As for, you know, the match itself, it will be a 12-hole competition of match play. Each team will receive a point when it wins a hole, with the most points after 12 deciding the winner.

Theoretically, though, the event could end well before all 12 holes are played.

If, for example, one team has a 4-1 lead and five holes have been tied, the other team cannot draw even over the final two holes.

The Match will also feature a best-ball format, which means that only the lowest score from each team will count on a given hole. This means that, hypothetically, Wood could triple-bogey a hole and still win if McIlroy's score beats those of Thomas and Spieth.

This is perhaps one reason why the odds are fairly close to even. Spieth and Thomas may be the more complete team—Woods is banged up and no longer in his prime—but one of them still has to outplay McIlroy.

And as with all iterations of The Match, this is first and foremost a charity event. The Match VII will serve as a platform to benefit Hurricane Ian relief efforts.

It's going to be an entertaining experience and for a good cause, so fans should be sure to tune in this Saturday.

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Tiger Woods is ready for his return to golf Saturday in Capital One’s The Match as he and Rory McIlroy take on Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

Woods hasn't played competitively since the Open Championship in July, withdrawing from the Hero World Challenge after dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, but using the cart in this event will allow him to compete.

"I can hit golf balls, it's just getting from point A to point B," Woods said in Wednesday's press conference.

The 46-year-old has practiced regularly in recent months, although the foot injury has prevented him from entering an official tournament.

"The walking part was the challenge," Woods added.

The 12-hole exhibition at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida gives the superstar a chance to play competitively once again, though he might lean on McIlroy in the best ball format.

"I've got the No. 1 player in the world on my team so I'm good," Woods said of McIlroy, joking that he could end up being a "cheerleader" for the event.

Rory returned the compliment, saying Woods is "probably the best golfer that ever lived."

Spieth and Thomas represent a formidable challenge, especially considering their experience playing together. The duo went 4-0 as a team to lead the United States to a win at the 2022 Presidents Cup.

It still might be difficult to trash talk their more accomplished opponents.

"Ok, you have more majors than us," Thomas said of Woods and McIlroy. "You both have an airplane and we don't."

Fans could get a new perspective on the four players with each having an open mic during the competition. Spieth planned to provide some insight into his decision-making before shots while chatting with his teammate.

Woods, on the other hand, said the banter will be different than usual because he "can't use certain words."

This is the seventh iteration of The Match, with Woods the only one of the four with experience in the event. He faced Phil Mickelson in the 2018 debut and teamed with Peyton Manning against Mickelson and Tom Brady in 2020.

McIlroy showed his excitement to finally take part in the unique exhibition.

"I think it just brings a different audience to the game of golf, which I think is important," he said. "Golf can be perceived as just stuck in its ways. This appeals to a different audience."

Saturday's competition will benefit those affected by Hurricane Ian, with the previous six versions raising nearly $33 million in charitable efforts.

There has been no shortage of back-and-forth quips between PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy and LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman, and the former provided some insight into when the rift started.

During an interview with Paul Kimmage of the Independent (h/t Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press), McIlroy said Norman's previous comments suggested he was "brainwashed by the PGA Tour" is when the beef began.

That it came after Norman sent him an encouraging message after he lost a four-shot lead during the final round of the 2011 Masters made it that much worse in his eyes.

"We've had this really nice back-and-forth, and he says that about me," McIlroy said.

Ferguson noted that McIlroy and Tiger Woods have both said the only way for the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to reach an agreement and perhaps come together is if Norman is no longer in his position.

"I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left," McIlroy said while also adding there needs to be "an adult in the room."

Rory McIlroy said he gave Tiger Woods COVID-19 ahead of The Open at St. Andrews this past season.

McIlroy and Woods played together at the JP McManus Pro-Am in Ireland over a week before the British major in July. McIlroy first felt some symptoms during the round, but he said things got much worse two days later, as he explained to Paul Kimmage of the Independent (h/t ESPN):

I slept for maybe two hours and the sweat was just pouring off me, then [his wife] Erica took my temperature and it was sky high. I rang Tiger: 'I'm not feeling so good here.' And he goes, 'Oh, I feel OK.' But he texted me at 10 o'clock that night, chills, fever, and I'm like, 'F---ing hell, I've just given Tiger COVID! This is horrendous!' So we both had COVID going into The Open.

McIlroy said he never actually tested positive for COVID-19 before The Open, although he said he lost the sense of taste during the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night ahead of the tournament.

"The whole week of The Open I didn't have any taste, and everything smelled like vinegar to me," McIlroy said. "Everything. It was really strange."

The 33-year-old still played in the tournament and fared well, finishing in third place at 18 strokes under par. McIlroy led the field going into the final round before getting passed by Cameron Smith on the back nine.

It was still his first top-10 finish at The Open since winning it in 2014.

Woods didn't have as good of a performance in his final turn at the historic St. Andrews golf course. The 46-year-old was recovering from a leg injury suffered in a 2021 car crash, and he struggled to a plus-nine finish while missing the cut.

It's unknown whether the illness passed from McIlroy had any effect on the round, although it likely didn't help.

Tiger Woods announced Monday he won't be competing in the Hero World Challenge, the annual event he hosts to benefit his charitable foundation.

Woods said he developed plantar fasciitis in his right foot and decided to withdraw on the advice of his doctors and trainers:

pic.twitter.com/C2HPgSSCAK

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) November 28, 2022

The Hero World Challenge, which tees off Thursday in Albany, Bahamas, would've been Woods' first tournament since the Open Championship in July.

The 46-year-old has battled a series of injuries that accumulated over his legendary career and steadily limited his availability on the PGA Tour. His February 2021 car crash raised new concerns about whether he'd ever golf competitively again.

Woods made his return at the 2022 Masters, opening with a one-under 71 in the first round before falling off and finishing 47th at 13 over. He entered the PGA Championship in May but withdrew after the third round. Then came his missed cut at St. Andrews.

Despite all of the setbacks, the 15-time major champion remains the most popular golfer in the world. For the second year in a row, he sat atop the leaderboard for the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program, which broadly rewards the stars who bring the most attention to the tour.

While Woods ruled himself out for the Hero World Challenge, he remains committed to playing in the PNC Championship, a two-day tournament in which golfers team up with their sons.

Tiger and Charlie Woods were runners-up to John Daly and John Daly II in last year's event.

Rory McIlroy is calling for the ouster of LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman as a condition of LIV and the PGA Tour working together moving forward.

"There's a few things that I would like to see on the LIV side that needs to happen," McIlroy told reporters. "I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left. He's made his mark, but I think now is the right time to sort of say, 'Look, you've got this thing off the ground, but no one is going to talk unless there's an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.'"

Norman has been the public face of LIV Golf since its outset, serving as president and commissioner. He's also been a vocal critic of the PGA Tour business practices, stoking tensions between the competing golf leagues.

LIV Golf and several of its golfers have an ongoing lawsuit against the PGA Tour, alleging unfair business practices. The PGA Tour has countersued LIV Golf, saying it coaxed players into breaching existing contracts. Norman has been among the leaders in attempting to woo stars to LIV with massive signing bonuses.

"It's obviously been a very contentious year in golf," McIlroy said. "And I've said this: The best thing in golf is to have all the best players playing together, and what's happening right now, that's not happening. So I fear for the game when that's going on.

"It's contentious because there's lawsuits going on and people suing people; it's very, very messy. So again, if all that stuff can be sorted out one way or the other, then you can get to the stage where there's forgiveness and people can have dialogue and come to some sort of common ground or compromise. But while all this is happening, it's very hard to do that."

Rumors recently persisted that LIV Golf was considering replacing Norman with Taco Bell CEO Mark King, although that was denied by Majed Al Sorour, the CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation.

LIV Golf is funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The league has been accused of being an attempt to "sportswash" the human rights atrocities committed by the Saudi Arabian government.

Tiger Woods is loading up his schedule for the end of the year.

The legendary golfer announced on Wednesday he will take part in the Hero World Challenge, marking his first official tournament since the 2022 Open Championship in July.

I am excited to announce that I will be in the field for this year’s #HeroWorldChallenge. A big welcome to @K_Kisner and @TommyFleetwood1 for joining us as well. See you soon at Albany!

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) November 9, 2022

Woods only played nine rounds on the PGA Tour during the 2022 season. The Masters marked his first tournament since the single-car crash in February 2021 that saw him face the possible amputation of his right leg.

"I’m lucky to be alive and to still have the limb," Woods told reporters in November 2021. "I’m very grateful that someone upstairs was taking care of me … (amputation) was on the table."

Woods made the cut at Augusta and finished 47th. He also played the PGA Championship in May and Open Championship. The 46-year-old posted a season-low score of 69 in the second round of the PGA Championship but withdrew before the final round after shooting a 79 on Saturday.

In what may have been his final appearance at St Andrews, Woods missed the cut after finishing nine-over par in 36 holes at the Open Championship.

Woods has taken an active role in helping PGA Tour players and commissioner Jay Monahan find ways to combat the rise of LIV Golf. He helped lead a meeting of several top players, including Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, in August to solidify everyone on the Tour's next steps.

"I think it's pretty apparent that whenever we all get in the room, there's an alpha in there, and it's not me," McIlroy told reporters after the meeting.

While it's unclear what Woods' schedule for 2023 will look like, his caddie did offer some insight during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show over the summer.

Joe LaCava told Dan Patrick (starts at 13:30 mark) in July he hopes Woods plays in the Hero World Challenge, followed by the PNC Championship in a pair with his son, Charlie, and at least one other tournament before the Masters in April.

Woods was recently announced as one of the participants in the latest iteration of Capital One's The Match. He will team with McIlroy to take on Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth on Dec. 10.

The Hero World Challenge, which debuted in 2000, is hosted by Woods and benefits his charity organization. He has won the event five times but hasn't played the tournament since December 2019.

This year's Hero World Challenge will be held at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas from Dec. 1 to 4.