Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth won the 12-hole competition by a score of 3&2 by making seven birdies in 'The Match' on December 10, 2022.
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Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth won the 12-hole competition by a score of 3&2 by making seven birdies during the made-for-tv demonstration at Florida’s Pelican Golf Club to benefit Hurricane Ian’s recovery efforts. The American team won the charity competition in 10 holes by combining for seven birdies, as opposed to Woods and McIlroy’s one. Spieth and Thomas, who have won five major championships between them, took control of the match right away, winning holes two, three, and four before American Woods and world No. 1 McIlroy made a comeback on the seventh. Spieth and Thomas immediately regained the lead, matching their competitors’ birdie on the 10th hole to ensure the victory. Following Hurricane Ian’s devastation in Florida in October, The Match donated funds to aid in relief efforts there.
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From ‘The Match’, it is now proven that Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are one of the best golf duos in the world. The long-time friends have a stunning 8-2-0 record in team tournaments as partners and showed much of that rapport against Woods and McIlroy. The two-time major champion Thomas was unquestionably the finest golfer of the evening, carrying the game for the majority part with his approach and sinking crucial putts. His partner Spieth provided some of his typical shot-making brilliance, setting up the match-winning birdie with a fantastic approach from the pine straw on the 10th hole.
Since The Open in July, Woods hadn’t participated in a competitive event. As a result of which, he looked a bit rusty. Woods, 46, had plenty of power on the driver the entire night, therefore that was one department where he didn’t lack. His initial swing on the range was 182 miles per hour, which is 18th fastest on the PGA TOUR this season and 10 mph faster than the industry average. It was unquestionably a good indication. Throughout the entire night, Woods’ ball speed averaged in the top 170s, significantly higher than the TOUR average and north of Spieth and Thomas on most holes. Due to plantar fasciitis in his foot, he withdrew from the Hero World Challenge last week.
Night golf with a shot tracer is something that the golf world needs to adopt on a larger basis. On Saturday, the illumination needed was provided by the floodlights only, creating stunning scenes with a dark backdrop all around Pelican Golf Club. The greens are often difficult to read with new dew and shadows in putting lines, but the scenes are beautiful enough to make up for the dip in quality. While a regular PGA TOUR event under the lights would be logistically difficult to put off, the exhibition series played during prime time is a sight to behold.
