A month away from the Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson match play event in Las Vegas, Turner Sports has announced the date, time, and price of the event.
THE MATCH (yes, that’s what they’re calling it. Capitalization is my own added flair) will cost $19.99 (down from the $25 initially rumored) on pay-per-view and B/R Live, and begins at 3 PM ET (which, as Turner so keenly noted in their release, is “high noon” in Las Vegas) on Friday, November 23rd. Yes, the event will take place on Black Friday, which doesn’t seem like the best idea, but who am I to judge?
As previously reported, the purse for the event will be $9 million, with the winner taking every last cent of that $9 million (before giving Uncle Sam his cut, of course). Both competitors will also have the opportunity to place side bets during THE MATCH, with all winnings in those donated to charity (which seems like small potatoes compared to the grand prize of the event, but again, who am I to judge?).
The broadcast will also be aired in 4K on DirecTV, and HBO will be producing a 24/7 series focused on THE MATCH. Bleacher Report and House of Highlights will have highlights and other content related to THE MATCH, while TNT will also air THE MATCH related programming in the weeks following the event.
The timing of the event, starting at noon on the west coast and 3 PM on the east coast, looks like something of a calculated decision. Of the major college football games with announced start times on Black Friday, only one (the Oregon-Oregon State Civil War) starts in that window – the rest are either before or later (or air on Saturday, as you’d expect). There’s a full NBA schedule on Black Friday, but only two games aren’t in primetime (and neither of those is a great matchup). As for early season college basketball tournaments, only three will be taking place on November 23rd – and one is the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout.
Get ready for THE MATCH, folks. We’re only four weeks away, and I’m sure you’re just as thrilled as I am to watch an event that should have taken place years ago instead of in late 2018.
