Tom Brady miracle shot can't prevent defeat to Tiger Woods in $10m charity golf match

Tom Brady, an athlete acquainted with magnificent comebacks, pulled off a highlight-reel shot during a made-for-TV charity golf match featuring Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Peyton Manning on Sunday.

Brady had struggled through the first few holes of the $10m match, in which he was paired with Mickelson, to the point where he was the butt of numerous jokes on Twitter. The six-time Super Bowl champion was playing badly enough that four-time major champion Brooks Koepka said he would donate $100,000 to Covid-19 relief if Brady managed to par any of the first nine holes. NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who was on the commentary team, also joined in the teasing.

But, as most NFL teams have found out to their cost, a riled Brady is a dangerous Brady. “It’ll turn on, don’t worry,” he told Barkley. “It ain’t over yet.”

Seconds later he holed out from 100 yards out for a birdie, drawing gasps of disbelief from the commentary team and costing Koepka $100,000. “Shut your mouth, Chuck,” Brady told Barkley with a laugh. “Take that medicine.”

Brady’s glee was tempered slightly when he discovered he had split his pants during the shot, and he had to change clothes between holes. His shot inspired a comeback of sorts for Brady and his teammate, Mickelson. They were three holes down when he made the shot but clawed back the deficit before ultimately losing by one hole.

Sunday’s match was played in rainy conditions at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida – which is Woods’ home course – and featured some of the most decorated athletes in US sports. Brady and Manning, arguably the two greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, have eight Super Bowl titles between them. Mickelson and Woods have 20 golf major titles combined.

Viewers were invited to contribute to Covid-19 relief during the match, and by the end of the broadcast more than $20m had been raised for charity.