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A18   SPORTS
                      Tuesday 17 July 2018

            Tiger and Phil in prime time? Great idea in 1999





            By TIM DAHLBERG                                                                                                     18th green:
            AP Sports Columnist                                                                                                 “Don’t hit it too hard, Phil.
            CARNOUSTIE, Scotland                                                                                                You know what happened
            (AP)  —  As  golf  exhibitions                                                                                      when  you  did  that  at  the
            go,  this  probably  once                                                                                           U.S.  Open  and  you  ran
            seemed like a good idea.                                                                                            and hit the ball again while
            Tiger Woods and Phil Mick-                                                                                          it was still moving. Does the
            elson in a prime-time tele-                                                                                         movie  ‘Happy  Gilmore’
            vision  special  playing  18                                                                                        come to mind?”
            holes for — and let’s pause                                                                                         “Well  at  least  he  hit  the
            for  a  moment  here  —  a                                                                                          ball,”  Mickelson  might  re-
            cool  $10  million.  Put  it  un-                                                                                   ply. “Not like the time the
            der the lights in Las Vegas                                                                                         9-iron  went  through  the
            with some cool celebrities                                                                                          windshield of your SUV.”
            following  inside  the  ropes,                                                                                      Yes,  indeed,  nothing  like
            and  it  becomes  must-see                                                                                          a  little  friendly  banter  to
            TV.                                                                                                                 spice  things  up.  If  Woods
            Back in 1999 anyway.                                                                                                and Mickelson really want-
            A  concept  past  its  time  is                                                                                     ed to go at it, they could
            heading to prime time, at                                                                                           turn  their  exhibition  into
            least  according  to  hints                                                                                         must-see TV.
            dropped  by  both  Woods                                                                                            But  while  this  is  about
            and  Mickelson.  The  two                                                                                           money  and  trying  to  stay
            say they are deep into ne-   In this May 10, 2018, file photo, Phil Mickelson, left, and Tiger Woods shake hands after the first   relevant to a new genera-
            gotiations to play a winner-  round of the Players Championship golf tournament, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.         tion of fans, it’s also about
            take-all  match  with  $10                                                                         Associated Press  image.  Woods  is  work-
            million on the line.         than  a  few  more  tanks  of  chat  with  any  player  —  end  golfer  does.  And  if  ing hard at rehabbing his,
            The best part for both play-  gas in the Gulfstream. And  much  less  Mickelson  —  in  they really want to needle  while  Mickelson  is  surely
            ers?  Neither  will  have  to  it’s  enough  to  get  Woods  his prime.                each  other,  it  wouldn’t  more  than  eager  to  flash
            reach into his own pocket  to  want  to  reprise  the  se-  But  reality  TV  isn’t  always  be  hard  to  come  up  with  his smile and sign some au-
            to pay the other off.        ries of exhibitions he once  real.  And  the  lure  of  this  some zingers.            tographs  in  a  prime-time
            “I would hope for a spon-    did in his prime before the  TV  special  —  for  die-hard  Imagine  Woods  about  to  special.
            sor,”  Mickelson  said  last  unusualness  of  the  event  golf fans, at least — would  try  to  reach  a  par  5  over  Between  them  they’ve
            week at the Scottish Open.   wore  off  and  the  ratings  be  Mickelson  and  Woods  water in two as Mickelson  won only one tournament
            That takes some of the dra-  went in the tank.            finally  facing  each  other  looks on.                   since the end of 2013, but
            ma away from the match,  Woods  may  not  be  the  with  microphones  picking  “That  shot  looks  tougher  they are arguably the only
            mostly because $10 million  player he once was, but at  up every comment.              than  trying  to  pass  a  DUI  two players who can car-
            isn’t  life-changing  money  42 he remains the biggest  “We are friends so we are  test  with  five  different  ry  a prime-time  match  on
            for either man. Woods has  draw in golf.                  always  trying  to  make  drugs in your system,” Lefty  their own.
            won $111,878,724 in official  Mickelson  gets  some  eye-  each other uncomfortable  might say.                     The  ratings  won’t  be  as
            money in his career, while  balls,  too,  though  at  the  and  needle  each  other,”  “What  do  you  know,”  spectacular  as  they  were
            Mickelson is not far behind  age  of  48,  he’s  getting  Woods  said  Sunday  after  Woods might reply. “I may  when  Tigermania  raged
            at  $87,533,019,  and  both  more  attention  lately  for  practicing  a  few  holes  at  have had to go to rehab,  and  Woods  faced  off
            have  made  many  times  breaking  rules  on  the  golf  Carnoustie,  the  site  of  this  but you could have gone  against David Duval in the
            more in endorsements.        course  than  winning  tour-  week’s British Open.        to  prison  with  that  insider  Showdown  at  Sherwood
            It’s not even unheard of in  naments.                     If  Woods  and  Mickelson  trading  scheme  with  the  nearly 20 years ago, but in
            golf,  with  the  FedEx  Cup  The  two  were  never  real  really want to make each  biggest gambler in Las Ve-     today’s  fractured  media
            winner  pocketing  $10  mil-  rivals,  and  never  real  other  uncomfortable,  of  gas.”                           world  they  don’t  need  to
            lion  at  the  end  of  every  friends. Woods was almost  course,  they  would  be  Or this, as Mickelson stands  be.
            PGA Tour season.             always  the  dominant  No.  playing for their own mon-    over  a  20-foot  downhiller  Just more proof that it’s not
            Still,  it’s  enough  for  more  1, and had little use for chit  ey like nearly every week-  to  win  the  match  on  the  1999 anymore.q



            Usain Bolt to trial with A-League’s Mariners



            SYDNEY  (AP)  —  Eight-time  subject  to  a  couple  of  football  and,  since  his  re-  League  needed  a  hero  can play and if he can go
            Olympic    gold   medalist  benchmarks.”                  tirement  from  the  track,  and we got superman.”        really, really well,” he said.
            Usain  Bolt  will  trial  for  six  Rallis said it would be nec-  has trialed with Germany’s  Rallis said the owner of the  “Beause  if  he  comes  and
            weeks  with  the  Central  essary  for  the  31-year-old  Borussia  Dortmund  and  Mariners would guarantee  he’s  not  up  to  the  level
            Coast  Mariners  from  next  Bolt  to  trial  and  for  Foot-  Stromsgodset in Norway.  70 percent of his salary and  then it actually has a det-
            month  in  a  deal  which  ball Federation Australia to  “If he’s competitive, he will  the FFA would be expect-    rimental effect.
            could  see  him  play  for  a  support his salary.        lift  our  A-League  profile,”  ed to fund the remainder.  “But if he comes and he’s
            season  in  Australian  foot-  “Once  the  FFA  comes  Rallis said.                    Mariners  chief  executive  as good as our reports are
            ball’s A-League.             back and says that they’ll  “He will create dreams for  Shaun      Mielekamp    said  saying  that  he  can  be,
            Australian  football  agent  be  part  of  the  process,  young people and he will  there was still a lot of work  then  that  would  be  very
            Tony  Rallis  said  Monday  a  we’re  going  to  the  trial,”  give  the  A-League  a  pro-  to  do  and  a  trial  was  im-  exciting  and  I’m  sure  that
            “deal  between  the  Mari-   Rallis said                  file  no  amount  of  money  perative   to   determine  this stadium would be pret-
            ners and Usain Bolt in prin-  Bolt  has  a  long-held  am-  can  buy.  This  bloke’s  an  Bolt’s skill level.       ty full every time he put the
            ciple  has  been  agreed,  bition  to  play  professional  ambitious  athlete.  The  A-  “It would only be big if he  boots on.”q
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