MICKELSON & BARKLEY DEFEAT MANNING & CURRY, 4-and-3
After an “underdog team” three-putt on No.1 to bogey the hole and fall behind by 1, the Phil Mickelson-Charles Barkley team “got serious” and reeled-off four consecutive match play hole wins to take the lead by three, after the 5th hole.
Steph Curry could not find his game for most of the day, although he did hit a Par 3 tee shot to within six feet of No. 6, but Peyton Manning lipped the putt and the teams halved the hole.
The Mickelson-Barkley team, beaming with confidence, began trading every other hole or halving the holes until No. 12 when there was an ugly “Double-bogey” over “Triple-bogey” win to go four-up after the 12th.
After No. 14, the match went dormie with the pressure squarely on Steph Curry as the the Curry-Manning team needed to win over hole to force a playoff.
On No. 15, the two teams each birdied the hole and The Match III was over, 4-and-3.
(Barkley-Mickelson up four holes with only three holes remaining).
The underdog pairing (Mickelson-Barkley) were +140 in consensus odds.
Detailed Scorecard: (The Score)
What They’re Saying
Your Time-saving navigator for news
A Different Barkley Made the Difference (ESPN com)
Mickelson, Barkley Win The Match III (PGA Tour com)
Best Moments from The Match III (Golf Channel com)
Better get those Law & Order reruns ready (TNT/Awful Announcing)
The Match III, #SportsBiz and the Golf Industry
How Phil Mickelson rescued the Stone Canyon venue (Golfcom)
Sporting Goods: What was in the bags at Stone Canyon? (PGATour com)
PGA Tour purchased a minority stake in the European Tour (AP/ESPNcom)
The Match: Champions for Charity, HBCUs Benefit from $5.455 Raised
Publishing Note: PGA Tour Brunch will be back to its normal schedule as the PGA Tour prepares for its final tournament of 2020. We’ll be back in your mailbox on Wednesday at Noon ET.
After the Mayakoba Golf Classic wrap-up on December 7, we’ll publish once a week through the New Year and then we’ll be firing away, beginning with the January 5th preview for The Sentry Tournament of Champions.
The regular schedule of publishing Wednesday (First look/preview) through Monday (tournament wrap-up) will begin with the Tournament of Champions and continue throughout the PGA Tour’s 2021 season.
What’s Next?
As mentioned, the next (and last) tournament of 2020 will be the Mayakoba Golf Classic from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, December 3-6 from the El Camaleon Golf Club.
Past Results from 2019 Mayakoba Golf Classic (link)
Inside the Field (PGATourcom)
Parting Putt
Charles Barkley’s All-Time Best Moments with the “Real” PGA Pros: