In a highly anticipated golf event, Tiger Woods teams with Rory McIlroy to take on Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. The Match 7 is scheduled for 12 holes at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. We have the latest The Match betting odds and picks for the star-powered exhibition.
This might be an exhibition golf event, but you know that these four golfers are going to be competitive. The primary function of The Match is for charity and bragging rights. A portion of money from the one-day showdown will go to Hurricane Ian relief efforts in the state.
Can’t wait to play in Capital One’s: The Match with @McIlroyRory against @JustinThomas34 and @JordanSpieth to raise money for Hurricane Ian relief. See you boys under the lights on December 10th. pic.twitter.com/IdaVY6HGV8
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) November 7, 2022
via@TigerWoods
This is the seventh edition of The Match. The golf series has featured top-name golfers, along with athletes from other sports. Some of the former participants in The Match include Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Stephen Curry, Josh Allen, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Mahomes.
The professional golfers that have participated in The Match have been Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau. This will not be the first The Match event for Woods. He and Mickelson had a 1 v. 1 showdown in The Match 1 in 2018.
For those keeping score, Mickelson won the first The Match at Shadow Creek Golf Club in Nevada. Woods was also involved in The Match 2. He teamed with Peyton Manning to beat Mickelson and Brady at Medalist Golf Club in Florida.
In the most recent The Match event, Brady and Rodgers beat Allen and Mahomes at The Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. TheSportsGeek had a nice wager on Brady and Rodgers, so everything went according to plan.
The public is probably more interested in seeing NFL and NBA players in The Match than professional golfers. In any case, Tiger Woods is playing, so that is sure to garner attention. TheSportsGeek is handicapping the best The Match betting odds at Pelican Golf Club.
The Match Results
We are going to briefly go over the results from the previous The Match events. Since 2020, there have been two The Match events held every year. There was a two-year hiatus after Phil Mickelson beat Tiger in 2020.
| EVENT | WINNER | SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Tiger vs. Phil (Shadow Creek) | Phil Mickelson def Tiger Woods | 22 Holes |
| Champions For Charity | Tiger Woods/Peyton Manning def. Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady | 1 Up |
| Champions For Change | Phil Mickelson/Charles Barkley def. Stephen Curry/Peyton Manning | 4 & 3 |
| The Match IV | Bryson DeChambeau/Aaron Rodgers def. Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady | 3 & 2 |
| Bryson vs. Brooks | Brooks Koepka def. Bryson DeChambeau | 5 & 3 |
| Brady/Rodgers vs. Allen/Mahomes | Tom Brady/Aaron Rodgers def. Josh Allen/Patrick Mahomes | 1 Up |
When Is The Match?
The Match 7 is scheduled for December 10, 2022, in Belleair, Florida. Pelican Golf Club is the host golf course welcoming Woods, McIlroy, Thomas, and Spieth to Florida for the exhibition.
This is a 12-hole, best-ball event on December 10. Also known as four-ball, the lowest score from the two players is the only score that counts for every hole.
The four golfers will play their own ball, but only the best score is recorded after everyone has completed the hole. This is unlike the scramble format, where the best tee shot is played. Each golfer plays their own ball in The Match 7.
Note that The Match 7 is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. EST. This is a twilight event, as the two teams will play into the evening hours under the night sky.
What Channel Is The Match On?
If you are interested in watching The Match 7, we have all of the details regarding the TV broadcast. Most viewers will be able to tune in to the match on TNT.
TNT is broadcasting The Match 7 in primetime on December 10. This should make it easy for a wide viewer base to be able to watch the star-studded golf event.
If you can’t access TNT, then simulcasts will be available on TBS, truTV, and HLN. For golf fans outside of the United States, there should be live streams online.
The Match is in conjunction with the PGA Tour, so updates on the official website will be live throughout the match. If you want to wager on The Match betting odds live, most golf betting sites will have updates throughout the match.
The Match 2022 Odds
Do you want to bet on The Match betting odds? The Match 7 odds are currently on the board at Bovada. As of this moment, there are only The Match odds for the winner of the 12-hole competition.
Leading up to the event in Florida, there should be more options to bet on The Match 7. If you just want to bet on who is going to win at Pelican Golf Club, then you have everything you need at Bovada right now.
Are you interested in doing some line shopping for The Match betting odds? We recommend checking out our golf betting sites page with the top sportsbooks for betting on The Match 7.
The oddsmakers have Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth as slight favors over Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. We were expecting close to even odds between these two teams. It is hard to argue with The Match golf odds on December 10.
That being said, Thomas and Spieth have a slight advantage according to the oddsmakers. Neither are the No. 1 golfers in the world, though. The other side has the highest-ranked golfer, according to the OWGR.
McIlroy is currently ranked No. 1 in the world over Scottie Scheffler. Thomas is the next highest-ranked golfer at No. 8 in the OWGR. Are you wondering where Tiger is ranked these days?
The former world No. 1 and best player in the world is going into 2023 ranked 1,277. That might be hard for some Tiger fans to stomach, but he might have a big win or two left in him.
The Match Golf Predictions
We have The Match 2022 odds and now we’re going to look for a The Match 7 betting pick. The oddsmakers are giving a small advantage to Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, but the true odds should probably be -110.
If anything, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy should probably have a small advantage. While Tiger is not the player he once was, in this format, he should be in good shape with his partner. Remember that this is a best-ball format.
Rory McIlroy The Best Player At The Match 7
In other words, only the best score will be recorded at the end of each hole. If Tiger is horrible, but McIlroy is amazing, then that is fine for the team. Thomas and Spieth are clearly the more well-rounded team, but McIlroy is the best golfer in The Match 7.
Depending on how you look at the 2022 season, it was a really good season or a frustrating year for McIlroy. He was by far the most consistent golfer, but McIlroy was still unable to win a major.
McIlroy was the betting favorite for most tournaments that he entered this past year. Consistent finishes, though McIlroy still has not won a major since the 2014 British Open.
Despite not winning a major, McIlroy won the FedEx Cup in late August. He is the first player to win the FedEx Cup three times. McIlroy was able to do it in stunning fashion, as he completed a six-stroke come-from-behind win.
Roars from Rors 🗣️@McIlroyRory's top shots from around the world in 2022. pic.twitter.com/q9JAvxQOz4
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 27, 2022
via@PGATOUR
The tournament win was the 22nd PGA Tour win for McIlroy. He hopes to finally snap the major drought in 2023 with a win. If McIlroy stays this persistent, another major is going to come his way soon.
He finished the 2022 season ranking high in the most coveted golf metrics. McIlroy was second in scoring average, with an average score of 67.268. He was also first in average driving distance at 349.5 yards.
The next closest golfer was Patrick Cantlay, with an average drive of 331.4 yards. McIlroy was also first in SG: Tee-to-Green and second in SG: Total.
Tiger Woods Dealing With Plantar Fasciitis
Tiger has announced that he is not participating in the Hero World Challenge 2022 before The Match 7. He is blaming it on a right foot problem stemming from plantar fasciitis.
The ailment can make walking difficult and going a whole round at the Hero Worlfod Challenge wasn’t in the cards. Tiger noted that it is still possible for him to hit his shots, but difficult to walk a full round.
An update on the status of @TigerWoods' game. pic.twitter.com/QgxGLJI7P6
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 29, 2022
via@PGATOUR
While he is not playing that event, Tiger still intends on playing The Match 7 in Florida. It helps that this is only a 12-hole event.
Look for McIlroy to carry the load for this team. Fortunately, the format for The Match at Pelican Golf Club plays out favorably for him to win this event, even if he does not have the biggest impact.
Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth Well-Rounded, But The Best Players?
This would be the team to beat if both scores were counted for each hole. If this were the format, then Thomas and Spieth would be much larger favorites. However, being a well-rounded team is not necessarily important in a best-ball game.
McIlroy being the best player in this event bodes well for that team. This team may not be the most well-rounded, but the native of Northern Ireland is the most consistent out of these four players.
In a golf match like this, it is never a bad bet to take the best odds. We are going to side with McIlroy to be the MVP of The Match 7 and win this for him and Tiger in Florida.
