Played over the weekend in Florida, the second edition of “The Match” was a massive success and scored an average of 5.8 million viewers across TNT, TBS, truTV and HLN on Sunday afternoon.
Featuring PGA pros Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson playing with amateurs Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, the broadcast was most-watched golf telecast in the history of cable television. The event was such a hit that one of its participants, Mickelson, is now envisioning it as an annual occurrence.
Speaking with The Los Angeles Times, Mickelson floated the idea of taking the course against younger PGA stars like Justin Thomas as well as different celebrity golfers.
“I think you could showcase guys like Steph Curry and Michael Jordan or Tony Romo and Patrick Mahomes, who are all good golfers, elite talents and have great personalities,” he said. “Those personalities are going to come out with this event. Or you could have someone who loves the game and is competitive but is really entertaining like Larry David and Bill Murray. I think that could shine.”
Bryan Zuriff, a TV producer who initially pitched the idea to Mickelson, said Brady and Manning brought personality to the event, so continuing it next year with star athletes like Jordan and Romo makes a lot of sense.
With Mickelson winning the first iteration and Woods winning on Sunday, a rubber match, at the very least, seems inevitable.
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