'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After months of waiting, Tiger Woods finally has an official event on the 2022 calendar. Yes, 'The Match' is back.
The Match, a televised exhibition event that started in 2018, will see Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy square off against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth this year. According to reports, the seventh edition of the event will take place at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, on Saturday, December 10.
Tiger Woods returns for 'The Match'
Woods is set to return to the course for another exhibition event. The legendary golfer will join fellow PGA Tour star and his business partner Rory McIlroy against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth at the special golf event in Tampa Bay.
The event is set to be held on December 10 and is expected to begin at 7 pm. It is should be noted that the exhibition match will be a 12-hole event.
The Match has had multiple versions and this will be the first time the event will feature a PGA Tour all-star lineup. Unlike previous years where the celebrities were highlights of the show, this year’s event will have Woods and McIlroy facing Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
The competitors will have 24 major championships between them, upping the game by quite some margin.
It is also noteworthy that the seventh edition of The Match will be the third time Tiger Woods participates in the event. The ace golfer, who is in rehab due to injuries, remains doubtful for the upcoming Hero World Challenge.
Unless he makes it to the series he founded, The Match in December will be the first public golf event Woods has participated in since this summer's Open Championship at St. Andrews.
The golfer has been absent for most of the calendar year due to the injuries sustained in a car crash last year. While Woods remains active, he rarely makes public appearances and thus, The Match will be big for his fans.
'The Match' over the years
The organizers of the Match, which features a star-studded lineup each year, may have outdone themselves this year.
For the unversed, the exhibition event began back in 2018 on Thanksgiving. The debut edition of the special event had Tiger Woods playing Phil Mickelson in a head-to-head round. The televised event held in Las Vegas saw Mickelson take the win.
Following this, the event turned into a team matchup in 2020. This time, Woods teamed up with NFL star Peyton Manning while Mickelson joined hands with Tom Brady. Team Woods came out on top at the event held in Florida. However, the American didn’t feature in the next edition due to injury.
The third edition of the exhibition match saw Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley take on Steph Curry and Peyton Manning. Unsurprisingly, Mickelson and Barkley came out on top in Arizona.
The following edition saw Tom Brady return to the event. Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers teamed up to defeat Mickelson and Brady at the event held in Montana.
The next edition of The Match was a one-on-one between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. The latter won the event held in Las Vegas.
Following this, both golfers announced their moves to the newly-introduced LIV Golf series. The sixth edition of the event saw Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers take the victory over Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
Now, after a break, the 12-hole exhibition match will be an all-golfer lineup as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy take on Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
