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Best bets for Woods/Manning vs. Mickelson/Brady ⛳💰
Best bets for Woods/Manning vs. Mickelson/Brady
ESPN INSIDER ($ MATERIAL)
Following the return of live golf to television with the TaylorMade Driving Relief on Sunday that featured Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in a skins event, we have a much more hyped event on the horizon.
Two of golf's greats and two football legends will tee it up, as Tiger Woods teams up with Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in an 18-hole match to raise money for coronavirus relief efforts on Memorial Day weekend.
The star-studded event, dubbed The Match: Champions for Charity, will take place Sunday at the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe South, Florida.
Caesars Sportsbook opened Tiger and Manning as the -175 favorites over Mickelson and Brady (+155) on May 11.
Betting expert Chris "The Bear" Fallica, ESPN.com sports betting deputy editor David Bearman and fantasy analyst Anita Marks offer their best bets for the showdown.
Mickelson/Brady (+180)
Fallica: Even though Medalist is basically Woods' home course, I'm taking the dog here. The way the match will be structured, we're probably getting nine holes where it will be Tiger's or Mickelson's score counting and then nine holes where each partner's play will matter a lot more. And I wonder if there will be a point where Mickelson and Brady start talking on the back nine and get under the skin of Woods and Manning just a little bit.
One can be assured this is an event that Mickelson will really want to win. It's the big stage with marquee names and for a great cause. There aren't many players out there like Mickelson who get up for an event like this. That little bit of extra drive, motivation and trash-talking expertise could be all the difference in what should be a fun, entertaining, close match.
Bearman: As much as I would love to play the "revenge/slighted from November" card like Michael Jordan did in every episode of "The Last Dance," Tiger just doesn't get up for events like this, and the value isn't there. If it was a major and Tiger was slighted or lost before, sure. If it was even money, maybe. But as we saw last year in Tiger/Phil Part I, Phil cares a whole lot more in events like this. He treats the matchups with Tiger as Super Bowls, while Tiger points to the scoreboard in majors to do his talking.
Brady has dominated Manning in their respective NFL careers, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the golf matchup, so ... sticking to golf, the course favors the short game, and that is where Mickelson shines. The course, the event and the nearly 2-1 value has me on the 'dog.
Woods/Manning (-200)
Marks: All the stars align for Tiger and Peyton to win. As Fallica noted, Medalist is Tiger's home course, and Peyton has a better handicap than Brady, who presumably has been spending more time studying Bruce Arians' playbook than hitting balls on a driving range. Tiger's driving accuracy and strokes gained on approach will be key, and his competitive nature will not allow Phil to go up 2-0 in these types of competitions. Strategy will be crucial on the back nine in alternate shot, and Tiger's accuracy on the tight fairways will help his team dominate after the turn.
It seems like a lot of juice on Tiger/Peyton, but I don't see Phil and Tommy Boy pulling this out. However, there are prop bets that Phil and Brady could help you cash in on. For example, I can see Phil getting aggressive on the short par-4 first and posting the lone birdie. Also, Phil is longer off the tee than Tiger and Tom is known to smack it, so look for them to dominate the par-5s.
The notable props I like (via DraftKings):
Mickelson/Brady win hole No. 1 (+335)
Mickelson birdies No. 1 (+500)
Mickelson longest drive on No. 3 (+105)
Brady longest drive on No. 3 (+105)
Woods closest to the hole on Nos. 4 and 8 (+125)
Woods and Manning holes 10-18 winners (-110)
Mickelson/Brady most par-3s won (+120)
Mickelson/Brady most par-5s won (+120).
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Originally Posted by DiggityDaggityDo
