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Capital One's The Match is just around the corner. It was earlier confirmed that the event, headlined by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, will be held on December 10 at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.
As the event returns for a seventh edition, one of the key highlights was the omission of Phil Mickelson from the field. As one of the founding members of the event, Mickelson has been largely involved with all the past editions of the tournament.
However, his association with LIV Golf has cost him a slot in the latest edition of the exhibition event.
Ahead of The Match, one of the event’s executive producers, Bryan Zuriff, came forward to state that Phil Mickelson will no longer be involved with the made-for-TV event.
A longtime friend of the golfer, Zuriff, said that the event was connected to the PGA Tour and thus couldn’t have Mickelson in it.
Speaking to GOLF, The Match executive producer Bryan Zuriff said:
“I love Phil and he’s been an incredible part of this. But he knows, you know. He went where he went, and we’re connected with the PGA Tour. So I mean, this is a PGA Tour event.”
It is pertinent to note that Mickelson has competed in four iterations of the exhibition event. The golfer has often shined in The Match’s wall-to-wall approach and has been the event’s most successful player.
However, his move to LIV Golf means that the exhibition event has detached itself from the star player.
Zuriff went on to add:
“Unfortunately, he left the Tour, and that’s unfortunate for doing something like this.”
It is also noteworthy that this is an exhibition event. It is not owned or operated by the PGA Tour. However, it is linked to the American circuit and uses only PGA Tour players in it.
According to the organizers, the tour’s players are an easy sell to advertisers and broadcasters.
Emphasizing the point, Zuriff said:
“I look at The Match as saying ‘we’re doing an event in one day that costs a lot less than what LIV’s spending in a year, and more people watch us than watch them. I think we’re pretty smart in our business plan… We probably get more media attention for The Match than any golf event other than Augusta.”
Zuriff also added that it was a “bummer” that Mickelson couldn’t be part of the event. Making his side clear, the event producer added:
“It’s just a bummer because he’s just been a great partner for so long. But that’s a choice that he made. He understands that when you make those choices, certain things get sacrificed. And this is one of the things that got sacrificed.”
Who are the participants in The Match 2022?
With the ousting of Phil Mickelson, The Match also changed up its celebrity-mixed format.
The seventh edition of the competition will feature four PGA Tour stars, including golf legend Tiger Woods and World No. 1 Rory McIlroy. The duo will face Justin Thomas and Jordan Speith at the event.
Woods will be the headliner of the event as he returns to the field after a break. While the competition seems tough, all odds are on the Woods-McIlroy team to win.
