TaylorMade Driving Relief Event Brings Golf to Forefront, Look to Raise Money for COVID-19
We’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel regarding the return of professional sports in the United States. One needs to look no further than recent announcements that have come down regarding the potential return dates for getting things going again. In the world of pro golf, while the PGA Tour as a whole returns next month, we’ve heard about a couple different televised events with marquee players taking place during the month of May. The Match: Champions for Charity, involving Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, is going off on May 24. There’s another big event taking place one week before that on the links in the Sunshine State as well.
On May 17, four big names from the PGA Tour will lock up in a skins game format on the links with a $3 million purse. Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson are slated to square off with Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in the TaylorMade Driving Relief event from the Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida. The entire purse, which is being put up by the UnitedHealth Group, is going to be donated to the American Nurses Foundation and the CDC Foundation to help in the fight during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is scheduled for 18 holes and will be televised from 2 to 6 pm ET on NBC with streaming available on PGA Tour Live, GOLFTV, Golfpass and the Golf Channel.
There will be no fans in attendance for this event and strict guidelines are in effect to keep an eye on ensuring that no one is in danger of ending up with the coronavirus. In addition to the $3 million purse, Farmers Insurance Group has put up an additional $1 million for a birdies and eagles pool to benefit the Off the Plate organization, which helps healthcare workers and frontline shift employees that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond that, PGA Tour Charities will have a text-to-donate activation and an online donation program run through GoFundMe to give viewers an opportunity to raise additional money for COVID-19 relief. A statement released by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had this to say about the event:
“We are excited about the safe and responsible return of live golf and the opportunity to raise significant funds for those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic through the TaylorMade Driving Relief event. With four of the PGA TOUR’s top stars in Rory, Rickie, Dustin and Matthew of Team TaylorMade participating and UnitedHealth Group serving as the foundation of charitable giving, and Farmers Insurance providing an additional bonus pool, golf fans around the world can look forward to a unique, interactive and entertaining event that will help those in need.”
The field is a solid one when it comes to competitors. McIlroy is the number one player in the world according to the official rankings. Johnson is fifth and Fowler 27th while Wolff is the 2019 NCAA champion. He won his first PGA Tour victory in his third career tournament at the 2019 3M Open, when he played on a sponsor’s exemption.
Much like The Match: Champions for Charity, there are odds out there for those of you who want to get some money down on the event. The duo of McIlroy and Johnson are currently going off as -200 favorites while the pairing of Fowler and Wolff are going at +160 as the underdogs. McIlroy and Johnson are also -145 favorites to claim the first skin of the match while Fowler and Wolff are +115 underdogs on that particular prop.