Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson’s $9 million match started badly for Mickelson: He lost $200,000 in a side bet with Woods.
The bet: Whether Mickelson could birdie on the first hole. For non-golfers, a birdie means a score of 1-under par. Par is the expected number of strokes it an expert golfer should need to finish a hole.
“That hurts the pocket,” said Woods.
An hour later, Mickelson got some good news: He won a $100,000 bet.
The winner-takes-all event is taking place at the Shadow Creek golf course in Las Vegas. It is an unapologetic made-for-pay-per-view event, featuring an outsized payout for the winner, and serves no other purpose except bragging rights and keeping viewers entertained on Black Friday.