“Obviously we played awful” – Phil Mickelson on his experience of playing with Tom Brady
In 2020, legendary US golfers Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods paired up with two of the greatest NFL quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, respectively, for 'The Match'.
The second edition of the exhibition contest was played to raise funds to support COVID-19 relief efforts. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady had a rough start but soon found their footing. However, the duo was edged out by Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning.
Mickelson appeared on The Dan Patrick Show a couple days after the tournament. He was asked whether he felt like giving Brady a lesson when he was struggling on the field.
Peyton Manning and @TigerWoods have beaten @TomBrady and Phil Mickelson in #TheMatch 👏 https://t.co/Fya3usS2kI
Mickelson responded by saying that Brady was a person who found a way and if anyone got in his way, it would "inhibit" him from doing that. Brady did eventually find a way because after an awful play in the beginning, the pair made a good comeback in the game.
Phil Mickelson further explained what he made of Tom Brady:
"Tom is one of those guys that he kind of just finds a way. And if you get in his way and you give him too much thought, it will inhibit him from figuring it out. And he just kind of figured it out if you look at the way obviously we played awful, the first six holes, both of us. But after that, we played really, really well."
He added that Brady stepped up soon.
"But we played for under par the last 12 holes now an alternate-shot. I thought if we shot like 38 or 39, like a couple over, that'd be really good. We shot two under. So he really stepped it up on the, on the back nine."
Dan Patrick noted that although Tom Brady is a phenomenal quarterback, he was still like everyone else. He made mistakes, that too on television. According to Patrick, that "humanized" him.
Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning vs. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in “The Match: Champions for Charity” today at 2 ET. The four sports’ legends will square off in an 18-hole match and make a combined $10 million donation to COVID-19 relief efforts. 📸 @pgatour. https://t.co/U3b629FA1e
Phil Mickelson agreed and was all praise for Brady and Peyton Manning. He commended them for putting themselves out there in an unknown habitat because that is a very difficult thing to do.
"You're right and that's why I give him and Peyton a lot of credit. Because they're the best of what they do and you go into the arena of something that they're not as comfortable in and they're not as confident and have not worked on very much. That I give them a lot of credit for, putting themselves out there. That's not an easy thing to do. I thought they did with a lot of grace and comedy."
What was Phil Mickelson's favorite moment in 'The Match II'?
When Phil Mickelson appeared on The Dan Patrick Show, he got candid about 'The Match II'.
Dan Patrick asked him what his favorite moment in the competition was. Mickelson answered that it was when his partner Tom Brady hit a putt at 11. It is no secret that Mickelson and Brady had a bad start to the competition that day.
However, according to Phil Mickelson, that putt gave them a lot of confidence that they could mount a comeback from a bad play. Both Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning were on their top game. So Brady's putt was their golden chance to make a thundering return.
"My favorite moment was gosh, I think when Brady made the putt. When he made a putt on 11 because that gave us a chance. And Peyton Manning had hit an iron shot in there to like eight feet and with Tiger putting neat, he's gonna make that putt. And so this was our chance to pick one up."
I’m proud to have been a part of the creation of The Match. Today will be a fun,funny and insightful version and I’m wishing Tiger,Rory,JT,and Jordan all the best. I’ll be watching it on TNT and I hope you will too.
Mickelson added that it would have been "deflating" to walk away with a tie but Tom Brady's putt gave them a lot of energy.
"Had we not made that after playing this whole time beautifully and then walk away with a tie that would have been very deflating. Instead of [that, it] gave us this energy that 'Hey we can do this. We can make this comeback'. And we almost did and that putt that he made on 11 was my favorite moment."
This year, 'The Match' was played between teams of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. The latter emerged victorious. This edition of the coveted event was played to raise funds to support Hurricane Ian relief efforts.
Although Phil Mickelson had been a part of 'The Match' since its inception, after defecting to the controversial LIV Golf series this year, he was not invited to 'The Match'. He took to social media to express his respect and gratitude for the event. He also wished Woods, McIlroy, Spieth, and Thomas all the best.
However, his absence must have been certainly felt by every golf fan around the world.