Pay-per-view? Seriously, pay-per-view? Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and a whole lot of networks, marketers, sponsors and cable providers, agents, handlers and so forth want people to pay to watch them compete in gimmicky, match-play, winner-take-all (supposedly), $9 million event in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving? H.L. Mencken famously said, “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public,” but actually a lot of people have and here’s hoping this operation is next. Tiger, Phil, TNT Sports and almost everyone else involved have too much money to lose it all, of course. That doesn’t mean this business venture doesn’t deserve to tank. This, at first, seemed like some harmless fun. Two all-time greats playing a mano-a-mano match out at Shadow Creek Country Club in Vegas. Put live microphones on them and catch all the drama, strategy and trash talk. Add in a long-drive contest or maybe encourage some side bets, and it’s a good time. Maybe it’ll even go to the final hole. This was golf not taking itself too seriously. And look, Vegas has long tried to sell fans on past-their-prime matchups, most notably the Mayweather-Pacquiao pillow fight in 2015. Tiger vs. Phil might be enough to flip over while watching some college football. Then came the announcement Wednesday that this was going to be a pay-per-view event. A what? The biggest moments in golf are consumed for free. Been that way forever. If CBS is good enough for Sunday at Augusta, then how is this concoction worth a nickel? Couldn’t they just lower the pot and put it on broadcast TV? This feels like a bad sports management thesis come to life. No mention of charity. Nothing about the guys putting up their own cash. Everything centers on the concept that $9 million is such a grand sum that each guy will feel back-nine-at-a-major pressure and actually try. Nine million is a lot of money … except to these guys. Over the last 12 months, Forbes has Phil making $41.3 million and Tiger checking in at $43.3 million. Mind you, together they combined for a single PGA Tour win in that time. Most of that money is through endorsements, but the total sum doesn’t include outside business ventures, which are considerable. And that’s just one year. They’ve each been on the list for a couple decades. Tiger’s estimated net worth is $760 million. The latest for Phil was $375 million. Story continues That isn’t even the issue, though. They’ll play hard because they are competitors and they’ll want to win. The attention, the opponent, the exclusivity are enough to make them care. Or should be. Which is why this doesn’t need to be $9 million. It could be 20 bucks. Phil and Tiger and everyone else could do it just because it’s a cool idea and whatever money is made could go to the winner’s charity of choice. Instead you’re being asked to pay so one of these incredibly rich guys gets a little bit richer. It’s clear this wasn’t thought through. Listen to Mickelson on Wednesday when asked about the event. “It’s an opportunity for us to bring golf to the masses in prime time during a period where we don’t have much going on in the world of golf,” Phil said, according to ESPN.com. The masses? Via pay-per-view? The masses don’t have another $49.95 or whatever — the fee hasn’t been disclosed — for the cable bill. And by pointing out that it is at a time when pro golf is essentially quiet, all he’s doing is noting that he didn’t have a better way to make money that weekend. Demystifying golf, making it different, perhaps appealing to younger or different demographics all are worthy goals for the sport. If anything, this should have been a way for two guys who have gotten so much out of golf to give back to golf. That isn’t what they are doing here. For Phil and Tiger, for all the businesses and middle men who will get paid, for an industry that is too often viewed as elitist and only for the wealthy, this is just an old-fashioned money grab. And it’s your money they are trying to grab. More from Yahoo Sports: • Nationals lampoon: Harper era ends in failure • Amid scandal, President Trump goes after NFL again • Terez Paylor: 9 NFL teams best-suited for RB Bell in 2019 • Pete Thamel: Day of reckoning looms for Urban Meyer<doc-sep>The social media awkwardness was bad enough. Then, the official announcement of the Thanksgiving weekend spectacle of a Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson match included news that it will be on pay-per-view. Huh? Woods ($113 million) and Mickelson ($87 million) are Nos. 1 and 2 on the PGA's all-time money list, and have made a fortune off the course. This $9 million "match" shouldn't need to be subsidized by the golfing public, but that appears to be what's happening. TNT will produce it, and we get to pay for it. Press release just out: The Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson 18-hole match will be produced by Turner Sports. Will air pay-per-view on DIRECTV, B/R Live and AT&T U-verse. Thanksgiving weekend at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. No price details on release. — Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) August 22, 2018 Earlier Wednesday, Woods threw down the gauntlet via Twitter, with a slick-looking graphic that included the all-time great somehow holding a left-handed driver. He isn't Lefty. And then there was some cringe-worthy trash talk: I bet you think this is the easiest $9M you will ever make😂 — Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 22, 2018 Think you will earn some bragging rights? 🏆 — Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) August 22, 2018 This all sure seemed like a great idea a few weeks ago ...<doc-sep>
3:38 Tiger Woods reflects on an opening round level-par 71 at the Northern Trust - the opening event of the FedExCup Play-Offs - and looks ahead to his one-off match against Phil Mickelson Tiger Woods reflects on an opening round level-par 71 at the Northern Trust - the opening event of the FedExCup Play-Offs - and looks ahead to his one-off match against Phil Mickelson Tiger Woods opened his FedExCup Play-Offs account with an uneventful level-par 71 at The Northern Trust but his upcoming $9m (£7m) exhibition match against Phil Mickelson continued to grab the headlines. The American duo announced on Wednesday they will play a high-stakes one-off 18-hole contest on Thanksgiving weekend at Shadow Creek Golf Course in November. Woods and Mickelson engaged in some light-hearted joking over social media about "The Match" and the 14-time major winner defended the event being available solely via pay-per-view. Tiger Woods will face Phil Mickelson in 'The Match' later this year "How many times have we all purchased fights, whether it's MMA or boxing, whatever it may be," Woods said. "We all purchase those fights." Woods believes the duel, which will see two of the sport's most high-profile figures battling it out, is an exciting prospect for the sport. Woods was not at his fluent best during the opening round in New Jersey "We're able to showcase golf at a different time and different platforms and I think this will be fun," added Woods. "It's 18-holes, so anybody can win an 18-hole boat race. We're going to have fun doing something that's never been done before." Making his first start in the play-offs since 2013, Woods mixed two birdies and two bogeys at the Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey to leave him five shots behind the early pacesetters when he finished his round. The 42-year-old was unable to replicate the golf which saw him finish second in the PGA Championship earlier this month, as he begins the possibility of playing three consecutive tournaments for the first time in more than five years. Woods sits in 20th spot in the FedExCup rankings but his two birdies on an otherwise lacklustre day came at two of the three par-fives with his two dropped shots coming at the second and fifth, during his back nine. Woods mixed two birdies with two bogeys as he began his FedEx Cup playoffs campaign He said: "[It was] one of those days where I just kept having the half-club and was never able to fully swing at it and having to hit little softies in there, control my flight, manoeuvre the golf ball." Watch the Northern Trust throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf. Coverage continues with featured group coverage from 12.30pm on Friday.