Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy swing to underdogs in The Match

In news that will certainly get 82-time PGA TOUR winner Tiger Woods fired up ahead of the latest edition of Capital One’s The Match, the super team of Woods and world no.1 Rory McIlroy have swung to underdog status ahead of their showdown with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

With Woods recently withdrawing from the Hero World Challenge thanks to plantar fasciitis, bettors at BetMGM Sportsbook have pounced on the Thomas / Spieth combo for the 12-hole head-to-head contest to be held under lights at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.

While McIlroy has recently taken back status as the best golfer in the world thanks in huge part to wins at the TOUR Championship and THE CJ CUP in South Carolina in recent starts, Woods is returning to playing action for the first time since the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews in July as he continues to manage his body following his 2021 car accident.

As such, the Woods/McIlroy combo have drifted to +100 to win after opening at -135 while Thomas/Spieth have moved from +110 at opening to -125 as of Thursday.

“I can tell you one thing,” Woods said earlier this week on a media call, “I have the No. 1 player on my team, so I’m good.”

Woods says his most recent injury setback will not hamper his golf swing, rather it affects his ability to walk without pain. The Match provides golfcarts for participants and can be watched on TNT, with simulcasts available on TBS, truTV and HLN.

Woods and McIlroy have 105 PGA TOUR wins, five FedExCup’s and 19 major championships between them. By the same measures Thomas and Spieth have 28 TOUR wins, two FedExCup’s and five majors. But while Woods and McIlroy have been on opposing teams in Ryder Cups of the past, Thomas and Spieth recently combined for a 4-0-0 record as a duo for the U.S. at the Presidents Cup and have an 8-2-0 record together in all Presidents and Ryder Cup play.

“He’s probably the best iron player that’s ever lived ... probably the best golfer that’s ever lived. Period,” McIlroy said of his partner Woods. “I think if he can just get it out in the fairway, and get some looks in the fairway, I think we’re going to have a really good chance.”

The Match will be played in a team best-ball format. Each player will play his own ball, and the best individual score from each team will count for the hole. But as has been the case in the previous six editions of The Match, several curveballs will be introduced through the contest as money is set to be raised for Hurricane Ian relief.

The third and ninth holes will provide closest-to-the-pin competitions for up to $1.1million a piece while the fourth hole will be played as a one club challenge where each competitor must use just one club for the entire hole and can win up to $750,000. The fifth and eighth holes will also provide hole-in-one challenges where $2.5 million will be donated on the team's behalf should an ace come to fruition. If no hole-in-one is made, $250,000 will be donated on behalf of the team that wins the hole.

BetMGM Sportsbook has also set up special markets outside the winner of the contest and will provide live betting on each hole in legal betting states.

Currently Woods/McIlroy are -105 to win the first hole (tie no bet) with Thomas/Spieth at -120 and the same odds are posted for the first team to go 1up.

You can get +150 on Woods/McIlroy to be leading after six holes with Thomas and Spieth at +138 and a tie at +333. On Thursday Woods/McIlroy were +138 to lead after nine of the 12 holes, Thomas/Spieth were +120 and a tie was +450.

Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org