It’s back. And he’s back.
Capital One’s The Match returns for a seventh rendition Saturday but perhaps the real headline here is golf fans get to see Tiger Woods tee it up once again.
Originally set to play the Hero World Challenge last week, Woods was a late scratch which then sent everyone scrambling to Google plantar faciitis. He was last seen on the golf course at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July.
Woods is raring to go and will be wearing a mic when he teams up with Rory McIlroy to take on the duo of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in a 12-hole contest under the lights at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, site of the LPGA’s Pelican Women’s Championship.
“I’m sure it will be very entertaining,” Thomas said ahead of the Hero last week. “It’s just going to be fun for us. Even if it wasn’t an event on TV, us four would have a blast going out and playing 12 holes together let alone under the lights to what sounds like a really cool golf course. So yeah, it will be a blast.”
This will be the third Match appearance for Woods but the first for the other three. This will also be the third time The Match won’t have a celebrity golfer. In previous editions, Charles Barkley, Steph Curry, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen made appearances.
How to watch
The main coverage will be on TNT but there will also be a simulcast on TBS, truTV and HLN. Bleacher Report will have additional coverage on its social channels before they tee off as well as during the competition.
Brian Anderson will be the host with Charles Barkley and Trevor Immelman working as analysts. Kathryn Tappen will be the on-course reporter.
Starting at 6 p.m. ET is “The Conversation,” a 30-minute roundtable discussion with the four participants hosted by Anderson. TNT says “no topic will be off limits.”
Capital One’s The Match Pre-Match Show will then come on at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The format
The format is best ball, with each player playing his own ball throughout the round. The lowest individual score on each hole will be the team score. The competition is scheduled for 12 holes. Saturday’s high temperature in Belleair is expected to be 73 degrees and there’s just a 10 percent chance of rain.
The money
The challenge holes will have prizes of $750,000 up to $2.5 million which will go to different charities. Capital One’s The Match has raised more than $33 million for charitable organizations since its 2018 debut. Some of the money raised this year will go towards Hurricane Ian relief efforts.
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