Many of the details of a Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning vs. Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady charity golf match next month are yet to be announced, but one thing is known: the early odds.
FanDuel’s online Pennsylvania sportsbook was quick on Thursday, one day after announcement of the pending match, to list the Woods/Manning team as a favorite even though the format for the star-studded foursome’s competitive play is still uncertain.
FanDuel put Woods/Manning at -220, with Mickelson/Brady +175. None of the other Pennsylvania online sportsbooks had posted odds for the event as of Friday morning. FanDuel was also not yet offering the odds on its sites in other states, as Pennsylvania regulators were the first to approve the betting market.
The real winner will be COVID-19 relief efforts
The event, to be aired live without in-person spectators on TNT, was announced by Turner Sports as “The Match: Champions for Charity,” with proceeds benefiting COVID-19 relief efforts.
It does not yet have an announced date in May or specific Florida location while awaiting sign-off from PGA Tour officials. The made-for-TV event follows in the footsteps of the November 2018 head-to-head, pay-television duel between Mickelson and Woods that Mickelson won under lights on the 22nd hole.
The charity match would mark the first golf event to draw attention since The Players Championship was canceled after one round March 12, just as all professional sporting events in the U.S. and around most of the world were being curtailed due to health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
The PGA Tour plans to resume in June with four events it has announced will be played without spectators, starting June 11 with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
FanDuel also has early odds listed on the three major golf championships to be played this year, plus the Ryder Cup. For the Masters, it has Woods at +1200 — tied with Brooks Koepka for third favorite behind Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm — while Mickelson is down at +4500.
Photo by Kyle Terada / USA Today Sports
