Phil Mickelson beat Tiger Woods on Friday at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas in more ways than one. Mickelson won the match play event in 22 holes (in the dark!), and he took home $9 million for his efforts. But Mickelson also won three of the side bets and a fancy championship belt to boot.
Woods and Mickelson made eight different side bets against one another within the match. Five of those resulted in no winner -- with the most significant being a $1 million eagle challenge on the par-4 ninth -- but Mickelson took home three others after losing the first, a guaranteed $200,000 birdie on the first hole, which was set up earlier this week.
Mickelson did have a putt for birdie on the first, but he hung it out to the left, and Woods was on the board for $200,000, which was donated by Woods to the Tiger Woods Foundation, After that, Mickelson won three closest to the pin competitions as Nos. 5, 8 and 13. He collected $600,000 total and turned it around to the Children of the 58 Fund and the Las Vegas Shriners.
The last closest to the pin on No. 13 was one of his best shots of the day.
Phil takes Tiger's bet and the 300k... all in less than 2 minutes 🤑#CapitalOnesTheMatch is heating up pic.twitter.com/UEVNFr7EBH
— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) November 23, 2018
Additionally, Mickelson took home a championship Italian leather belt (which probably could have been bigger!) that he joked was forged in "Tiger size." The belt sat atop a collection of $100 bills which made up the $9 million (but it wasn't even real money!)
Along with the bragging rights and a cool 9 Mill, Phil got the champion’s belt.
— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) November 24, 2018
Unfortunately, looks like it was ‘Made in Tiger size’ 🤣 pic.twitter.com/2VMMnfKjd5
Even though the ending was fun, the golf was still maybe not the best these two have ever played. It's always difficult to tell in match play, but it looks like Woods would have been 3 under through 22 holes with six birdies. Mickelson would have been 4 under with 5 birdies. I did not see Mickelson making fewer bogeys than Woods at the start of this thing.
Regardless, everybody walked away with money (even viewers at home!). Mickelson took the most, but don't feel sorry for Woods, who likely still walked away with a healthy cut of what was apparently far more than $9 million up front just for these two to square off.