Why you should root for Peyton Manning (and that other guy) in The Match II in two words: Sweetens Cove

Peyton Manning is a partner in a 9-hole public course in southeast Tennessee that has become a cult favorite and ranked in Golfweek’s Best.

The thing about a truly great sports rivalry is that it makes you pick sides. No one roots for the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox or the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

In golf, during their heyday, you were either an Arnie guy or a Jack guy. And that’s perhaps the most appealing part of The Match II: Are you for Tiger or Phil? Both have loyal followers. But for many, the rooting interest is muddied this go-round by the addition of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Manning is in many ways the Phil Mickelson of the NFL, who must stay up late at night wondering how many Super Bowl rings he might have if not for Brady (and his New England Patriots) standing in his way. Mickelson and Manning would seem to be a natural partnership, but the organizers thought otherwise and paired Manning with Woods. It may make for some strange bedfellows if you’re a Tiger guy but also a Brady lover, or Mickelson and Manning supporter. There are few more polarizing athletes than this foursome.

How to break the tie? I’m basing my rooting interest during Sunday’s match on the simple fact that Manning is the more legit golf guy in my book. Which is not to say that Brady, who lives off The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he is a member and recently joined Seminole Golf Club after signing on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and has competed in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, lacks street cred in the golf community. Manning isn’t lacking in having memberships at some posh private clubs either: Castle Pines and Cherry Hills in Colorado; The Honors Club in Tennessee; and a little old club in Georgia you may have heard of, Augusta National. But it is his ownership stake in Sweetens Cove in South Pittsburg, Tennessee — population 3,000 — that sways my allegiance.

Sweetens Cove, a quirky, strategic, nine-hole course is arguably golf’s greatest success story of the last decade. Since opening in 2015, it has climbed to No. 49 on Golfweek’s Best Modern List and you can read about it here. As for Manning’s ties to the place, architect Rob Collins of King-Collins Design & Golf Construction, tells it best. He recalls how when Sweetens Cove first opened, he and Patrick Boyd, the original course general manager, always would say the one investor they’d really love to get on board is Manning. “No one better to be involved in a golf enterprise in the state of Tennessee,” Collins said. “We’d laugh and say, ‘Maybe one day, who knows? How cool would that be?’ ”

Fast-forward to Oct. 21, 2018. By that time, Collins had met and partnered with Mark Rivers, a real estate developer, who put together a group of partners that included Tom Nolan, then of Polo Golf and now CEO of Kendra Scott, and tennis Hall of Famer Andy Roddick. Rivers suggested dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Chattanooga so Collins could meet Nolan, the newest partner.

Arriving a few minutes early, Collins waited at the bar with Rivers and his back to the door.

“Mark said, ‘They’re here.’ I thought, They? Did Andy come to? I turn around and Peyton is walking towards me and sticks out his hand and says, ‘Hey, I’m Peyton Manning’ and I said, ‘Hey, I’m Rob Collins.’ Over my shoulder, Mark says, “And there’s your fifth partner.’ ”

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Collins played with Manning during his first trip around Sweetens Cove, which has become a cult favorite and social media darling, and Manning has been back often, including on May 23, 2019, when he took a video of himself playing the eighth hole and declared what should be a slogan printed on a T-shirt: “Carrying my bag, playing nine holes, God bless America.”

“It’s got great character to it,” Manning says of Sweetens Cove. “Love The Shed. You can drop your money in a bucket. It’s just short and sweet. You’ve got to play it and then everybody understands.”

Even now, Collins marvels at his good fortune that Manning loves the game of golf and the state of Tennessee enough to invest in his and original partner Tad King’s little engine that could. Collins laughs as he recounts the tale before adding, “How the hell did this even happen, you know?”

That’s a pretty funny story, too.

“It turns out that Tom (Nolan) called Brad Faxon to see if he knew Peyton,” Collins said. “He didn’t, But Brad said, ‘I know Tom Brady and I’ll call him.’ Brad called Brady and then Brady called Manning. Isn’t that crazy?”

Does that mean the Manning partnership is all Brady’s doing? Should Collins really be rooting for Brady and Mickelson on Sunday?

“We’re very grateful to Tom for making that phone call, but I’m a total homer for Peyton,” Collins said.