Tiger vs. Phil: The best five ways to bet "The Match"

Tiger is currently a -200 favorite to defeat his longtime rival Phil "Lefty" Mickelson (+170) in their much anticipated showdown in "The Match."

Monty Andrews
Nov 22, 2018 • 04:03 ET

Amid everything happening on in the sports world this Thanksgiving weekend, bettors might be most thankful for Friday's marquee one-on-one showdown between two of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will square off at Shadow Creek Golf Club for a mind-boggling $9 million first prize – and there's plenty of money to be won in betting circles, too, with countless main and prop bets available. **video

Here are five of the best ways to wager on The Match:

QUICK HITTER

We should see some early fireworks in this one, beginning with the 393-yard, par-4 first hole. Both Mickelson and Woods were sensational at par-4 scoring during the 2018 season, with Lefty making birde on 20.06 percent of par 4s – the sixth-best rate on the PGA Tour – and Woods not far behind at 19.50 percent (11th). Yet, while Woods has yet to play a PGA Tour round in 2019, Phil is off to a sizzling start to the new season, having carded a birdie on 11 of the 40 par 4s he has played so far. If you're looking for a nice early underdog play, we have two of them for you.

Picks: Mickelson to win 1st hole (+300), Mickelson to lead first (+110)

9-HOLE PICK

Phil might have a decent shot at getting off to a fast start, but few golfers on tour are better over their first nine holes than Tiger. The 14-time major champion posted an incredible 34.32 scoring average over the first nine holes of his 68 rounds in 2018, second only to Dustin Johnson (34.11). But Mickelson was far from terrible himself, ranking 21st with a 34.77 scoring average – and while a half-stroke difference over the course of an entire season is not insignificant, Mickelson was the more consistent player over the course of the season. We like the possibility of a tie through the first nine.

Pick: Tie after 9 holes (+500)

 

16TH HOLE RESULT PROP

One hole will be of particular interest to fans who like to see golfers grip it and rip it. The 16th hole is a mammoth 600-yard par-5 and should provide one of the stiffest challenges of the day for both Mickelson and Woods. The two were virtually even in par-5 scoring on holes measured between 600 and 650 yards, with Woods boasting a 4.667 scoring average (tied for 16th on tour) and Mickelson averaging 4.733 shots on par 5s of that length (tied for 44th). With not much separation between the two, we like the 16th to end in a dead heat.

Pick: 16th hole result: Tie (-110)

MOST BIRDIES PROP

There isn't much separating Woods and Mickelson in several areas – but Lefty should have a sizable edge with the putter. Mickelson has long been one of the most consistently clutch putters on the PGA Tour, and is coming off a sensational 2018 showing in which he finished 13th on tour in Strokes Gained: Putting (.510). By comparison, Woods finished 48th (.266). And in his first event of the 2019 season, the flat stick was even kinder to Mickelson, who posted a sizzling .963 SG: Putting average. They'll drive for show, but putt for dough – and in that regard, we like Phil to win the day.

Pick: Most birdies: Mickelson (-110)

MATCH RESULT PICK

Tiger was the feel-good story of the 2018 season – and his torrid finish to the year has a lot of people thinking that he might just waltz his way to a $10 million payday. But while Mickelson didn't finish the 2018 season as strongly as his long-time rival, he was still an incredibly consistent player who posted six top-10 finishes – one fewer than Woods – with the same number of wins (one). This one could very well come down to which player is better with the putter – and while Tiger can catch fire, Phil is a more reliable option on the green. We're leaning toward Mickelson to pull off the upset.

Pick: Mickelson to win match (+175)

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