Tiger, Phil plan event to help relief efforts

NEW YORK: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are in talks to stage a golf event to help coronavirus relief efforts that would also include National Football League stars Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.

Golf.com and CNBC reported the 18-hole match, which has yet to be approved by US PGA Tour officials, will be played and feature two-man teams with each major golf star joined by an NFL quarterback legend.

Mickelson defeated Woods in 2018 in a one-on-one matchup for $9 million in a pay-per-view event staged in Las Vegas. The two-on-two sequel, expected to be played in May, would be a rare event at a time when most global sport has been shut down by the deadly virus.

CNBC reported 15-time major winner Woods, the reigning Masters champion, would partner with fellow 44-year-old Manning, a two-time Super Bowl winner, against 49-year-old US left-hander Mickelson, a five-time major winner, and Brady, who won a record six Super Bowls in 20 seasons with the New England Patriots. Brady, 42, signed with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month.

The Golf.com report said pairings had not been decided but noted Manning and Woods played together in a pro-am at last year’s Memorial tournament.

The event would be played on a course without spectators, only a small crew to televise it, and each of the four sports stars would follow social distancing guidelines, with Golf.com saying the course would be an unspecified Florida venue.

Golf.com also reported that Woods became more interested in taking part in the wake of the virus pandemic and the global toll it has taken.