Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson Match Draws Heavy Betting Action Despite Lack Of On-Course WageringSportsbooks See Flood Of In-Game Betting During Match |
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The Tiger Woods – Phil Mickelson match at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas was billed as a high-stakes contest that would go well beyond the sponsor-supplied, $9 million winner-take-all purse. In fact, the 48-year-old Mickelson got the action started early, betting $200,000 that he would birdie the first hole, hinting that the rest of “The Match” would feature more of the same between the two multi-millionaires.
Instead, the public was treated to a neutered display of confusing side bets, and some solid, although not spectacular golf. Mickelson parred the first hole, losing $200,000 to the 42-year-old Woods. Three more closest-to-the-pin competitions followed on par 3 holes, with cash headed to back to Mickelson.
There was one seven-figure wager between the two golf legends, but it unsurprisingly ended in a push after neither player was able to make an eagle on the ninth hole. A long-drive contest on 14 also resulted in a push when both men failed to hit the fairway. While the front nine featured some banter and bets, the back nine was more serious as each player zeroed in on the big payout.
⛳️ Today we learned: 1) even the best choke 2) that I can hit a 90 yd wedge better than Tiger 3) Michelson’s short game & putting is not as good as advertised 4) it’s impossible for Michelson to give a 5.5 ft putt for $9m! & 5) unbelievable there were no post-game interview(s). https://t.co/biVQLUqSCh
— Mike Sexton (@Mike_partypoker) November 24, 2018
If you are gonna be a sucker, you and Mike should be quiet ones. Obviously this was a set up to raise money, nobody thought it would be a real test of golf. https://t.co/HN83Na1YRQ
— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) November 24, 2018
In total, the duo made eight side bets total, with some reports saying Woods ended up with $200,000 for the Tiger Woods Foundation, and Mickelson with $600,000 for the Children of the 58 Fund and the Las Vegas Shriners.
According to SBNation, Woods and Mickelson may have been held back by the PGA Tour, despite the fact that this was not a Tour event. Afterward, both players were reluctant to endorse the player side bets moving forward in other events.
The general public, however, was very much into betting on the $19.99 made-for-streaming event, with MGM Resorts stating that the total amount wagered was more typical of a high-profile boxing match than a golf tournament. While bettors could simply pick a player to win, there were also numerous prop bets available, including on which hole the tournament would end, whether a golfer could win three consecutive holes, and even a hole-in-one bet, which would have been a disaster for the sportsbooks paying out at 100:1.
Most Las Vegas sportsbooks showed the event for free, and offered in-game betting and props, such as closest-to-the-pin and longest drives. The line fluctuated wildly as the two players battled it out on the course, each holding the lead at one point, before Mickelson closed it out on 22nd hole.
MGM Resorts Vice President of Race and Sports Jay Rood told Forbes that the event’s success, at least at the sportsbooks, could lead to more in-game, stat-based bets moving forward. “I look forward to that because I think golf lends itself to in-play wagering beautifully,” he said.
Big golf bets, of course, are nothing new to the poker community. High-stakes players such as Doyle Brunson, Mike Sexton, Puggy Pearson, Patrik Antonius, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Ivey have all been reported to be involved in multiple seven-figure bets on the golf course.
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