The Match: One major change to make Tiger vs. Phil worth the money

The Match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson feels a lot more like a money grab than the grudge match many of us dreamed of a decade or more ago. However, there’s one major change that could make it worth the buy.

The Match is coming in just over a week’s time. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will square off in what was both the worst-kept secret in entertainment history, as well as coming at least ten years after most of us truly wanted it to happen.

While the announcement itself was enjoyable, if not unexpected, some of the developments since then have made “The Match” seem more like “The Side-Show” or “The Money Grab”. It’s clear that the $9 million purse won’t be put up directly by either Woods or Mickelson. It won’t even be open for fans to watch live at the course.

Sure, there will be a handful of high-dollar sponsors and VIPs allowed on the course at Shadow Creek, but that’ll be a far cry from the rowdy galleries of the Ryder Cup or the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where the interaction between fans and players isn’t just entertaining, it’s almost the backbone of the event itself.

Excitement for The Match dropped off dramatically with the revelation that it would not be available on broadcast TV, or even on Golf Channel, as literally every other event on the PGA TOUR schedule. Instead, fans who want to watch live will be charged a suggested price of $19.99 to watch on either traditional pay-per-view or Bleacher Report’s “B/R Live” platform, a partnership with Turner Sports.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably still shell out the 20 bucks for the match, however reluctantly. As Mickelson himself said, getting a buddy or two together with some pizzas and beers is still going to be cheaper per person than going to a movie. But it still feels a bit like we’re being taken to the pay window for something that should be more open than it is, especially with the complete elimination of an in-person attendance option.

So what could we change to make it worth it? Make the event interactive on every digital platform. Let fans truly have some skin in the game, since we’re being asked to bankroll it ourselves.

It’s not as crazy as it might seem, either. The “powers that be” are already trying to sell the match on its enhanced viewing features. Both players and their caddies will be wearing microphones through the entire event to capture the trash talk between two of the game’s biggest personalities. There will be drone coverage and full use of the TopTracer technology that has become an instant fan favorite on regular PGA TOUR broadcasts.

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So let’s take it a step further: real-time interaction between digital viewers and the players themselves. Have an on-course personality – David Feherty, anybody? – present comments from the gallery to the players as they walk between shots. And the real kicker: allow fans to suggest, vote on and decide the “side bets” that will happen.

Imagine Tiger and Phil walking to the tee box, only to find out that the hole they’re playing will be a “one club challenge”, or that their caddies will be playing an alternate shot with them for a hole. The variations are almost endless, and would make for some legitimately entertaining viewing. Take both Tiger and Phil out of their comfort zones, let them play the game and talk trash, and let the rest of us watch the fireworks.

The best part is that the basic structure already exists and is thriving online. Sites like Twitch and Patreon allow fans – paying fans – to interact with their favorite entertainers, and everyone comes out ahead. You know that Tiger and Phil could handle it, and it would be the next step in golf truly embracing new media and all of its limitless potential.

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It’s not that those of us who are skeptical of The Match don’t want to see it succeed; that couldn’t be further from the truth. But if we’re going to part with our money for the match, it should be a true spectacle, something never before seen. Something that would bring the best out of both players’ personalities and, frankly, not make it feel like the corporate, overproduced mess that so many of us fear it will be.

It’ll never happen, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t. Sometimes the best answer is the simplest: let the fans in and let the players shine.

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