Rich Schultz

By Alex Myers
In case you were planning a Thanksgiving trip to Las Vegas to see “The Match” between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, we hope you didn’t buy your flights yet. There will be no tickets available for this showdown at Shadow Creek, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In other words, don’t expect to hear a lot of cheering for good shots — or a throng of fans following these two legends up the 18th fairway.

Instead, “a small gathering of sponsors and VIPs will be given access” to the course, according to the report, which also says the event will take place during the day. Originally, Mickelson had promised a “prime-time” meeting.

While this news may disappoint some, it makes sense from a logistical perspective. It’s one thing to put on a made-for-TV event, but it’s another to provide security and everything else needed to handle thousands of fans.

The most important aspects of The Match, however, remained unchanged. Tiger Woods will play Phil Mickelson for $9 million, and it will be shown on Pay-Per-View. The exact price or time still hasn’t been finalised.

The Match is also still getting the HBO 24/7 treatment leading up to the match. We’re guessing that will involve plenty of shots of Tiger in the gym and Phil navigating Krispy Kreme drive-thrus.

Although both Woods and Mickelson struggled at the Ryder Cup, Tiger’s recent better PGA Tour play, including his win at the Tour Championship, has made him a heavy (-220) favourite against Mickelson.