Tiger Woods’ appearance alongside Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in The Match will be 'wild'
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Published 25/11/2022 at 14:59 GMT
The return of The Match next month has added significance with Tiger Woods teeing it up alongside Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. The event will give an indication as to where Woods is at in his recovery from the serious leg injury he suffered in a car crash in 2021. Played under lights in a prime time television slot, officials are expecting a spectacle for the fans.
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Tiger Woods’ return to The Match alongside Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas is predicted to be ‘wild’ by the man in charge of the event.
Bryan Zuriff is the producer of the event, and Woods is back for the seventh iteration.
It’s not clear how the 15-time major winner will play, given he has made only three appearances on the course so far in 2022 as he continues to battle with the leg injury he suffered in a car crash last year.
Woods has not been seen since missing the Open Championship at St Andrews in July, but will likely be busy in December.
Prior to teeing it up in The Match at Pelican Golf Club in Florida on December 10, Woods will be in action at the Hero World Challenge - an event he hosts through his foundation.
Following The Match, Woods is expected to compete in the PNC Championship, pairing golfers with a son, daughter or a parent.
Two of those three events will have an exhibition feel about them, while the Hero World Challenge is not an official tournament despite featuring on the PGA Tour schedule.
Irrespective of event, Woods' competitive juices are likely to flow and Zuriff expects the quartet to put on a show under floodlights in The Match.
“We have the four biggest celebrities on the PGA Tour,” Zuriff told Forbes. “Obviously, it was a very interesting year on the PGA Tour, so a lot can be discussed by Charles Barkley and our other commentators.
“It’s going to be wild. There will be some great conversations between the players and our announcers.”
While Woods has ruled out using a cart at the Hero World Challenge, he is likely to use one in The Match. Zuriff feels the 12-hole format will allow the former world No. 1 to show where his game is at.
“He’s going to play in the Bahamas the week before as a tune-up and he’s playing the week after at the PNC,” Zuriff said. “This setting is good for him because it’s 12 holes in a golf cart. I think you’ll see the best of Tiger.”
Since the last time Woods teed it up in The Match, much has changed in the sport with the emergence of LIV Golf.
LIV and the PGA Tour are in a collision course that could end up in court, but Zuriff admitted the prospect of pitting stars of both sides in The Match had crossed his mind.
“Potentially,” Zuriff said. “Who knows? I wouldn’t say it’s in the cards right now.
“I think both sides need to work out things but maybe down the road that’s obviously something that we all know would work.”
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LIV has said part of its model is to grow the game, but Zuriff feels The Match has done more in that regard at a fraction of the cost.
Zuriff said: “I think we do a phenomenal job and we are certainly not spending billions of dollars like LIV is - I like our model financially.
“With our charity element, with our star power and our conversations between big celebrities and their love for golf, we’ve grown the game when others have stated to be ‘growing the game’ but it feels different than what I think we’re doing.”
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