By Joel Beall
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will face Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in the latest iteration of “The Match,” sources have told Golf Digest.
The four superstars committed to the exhibition series, which will be held for the seventh time and second in 2022 after a duel between NFL quarterbacks was contested in June. The Match will be held December 10 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. It is expected to start at 7pm under the lights, with the match going 12 holes.
This will be Woods’ third appearance in “The Match”, participating in the inaugural event against Phil Mickelson in November of 2018 and returning in 2020 to team up with Peyton Manning to take down Mickelson and Tom Brady in a charity challenge in the nascent days of the pandemic. This will be the first appearances for McIlroy, Spieth and Thomas, although Thomas did work at the aforementioned 2020 charity match as a commentator. Woods, McIlroy and Thomas were a part of a similar exhibition in September 2020 to show off Payne’s Valley Golf Club, the first public-access golf course designed by Woods’ TGR Design firm, as well as raise money for the Payne Family Foundation.
Woods made three official starts in 2022 in his return from a February 2021 car accident, making the cut at both the Masters and PGA Championship while possibly saying goodbye to the Old Course at the Open Championship. McIlroy won three times last season, highlighted by capturing the FedEx Cur, with Thomas grabbing the PGA Championship for the second time in his career with a playoff triumph at Southern Hills. Spieth won the RBC Heritage and is coming off a 5-0-0 record in an American victory at the Presidents Cup.
Woods and McIlroy recently partnered for a new venture called TGL and are launching a tech-infused team golf league in partnership with the PGA Tour, but that endeavour is not believed to have any relation with the exhibition.
You may also like:
Get your FREE November issue of Golf Digest Middle East here
Bubba says he was paid guaranteed money from PGA Tour to appear in events
DP World Tour announces guaranteed pay for players and launches 2023 calendar
Koepka leads LIV fleet at International Series Morocco
Top tips from Butch Harmon
Crunch time on the LPGA Tour season
Morikawa on his struggles during 2022
Claude Harmon III on life inside the LIV Golf ‘family’
Rahm and Fox set to join Rory at DP World Tour Championship
Shergo Al Kurdi on life as a LIV Golf alternate
Kiradech set for Asian Tour return
Muscat is a must-see for a stay & play on the UAE’s doorstep
R&A reiterates stance on Turnberry
New date for Irish Open on 2023 calendar
Who won what over the course of LIV Golf’s first season
Scotland’s ghost course is a golfing mystery
The seven ‘scariest’ moments in golf
Atthaya becomes world No. 1 at age 19
Harrison Crowe claims Asia-Pacific Amateur
WATCH: Highlights from the LIV Golf finale
Wrapping up Year 1 for LIV Golf
DJ pulls the final Punch at LIV Golf Team Championship
