Colorado sports fans and bettors get a TaylorMade Driving Relief golf event and the UFC.
This is a jam packed weekend.
In normal times, both of these events would fall into the second tier category since the NBA and NHL playoffs would be closing in on a champion, and MLB would be hitting its groove.
In the crazy times of COVID-19, though, this is just what the sports doctor ordered.
Before “The Match” in about a week, and the return of the PGA Tour on June 11 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, fans get Sunday’s charity skins game at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla.
In a two-man event that will benefit coronavirus relief, Rory McIlroy will partner with Dustin Johnson to play Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.
The event airs live from 12-4 p.m. (MT) on NBC, Golf Channel, NBCSN and Sky Sports, and will be streamed for free on PGA Tour Live (NBC Sports Gold and Amazon Prime Video), GolfPass, and GolfChannel.com.
TaylorMade Driving Relief
What: TaylorMade Driving Relief
When: May 17
Where: Seminole Golf Club, Juno Beach, Florida
Watch: NBC, Golf Channel, NBCSN and Sky Sports
“It’s been difficult to witness what so many are enduring over the last several weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” McIlory said in a statement. “I hope that we can provide some respite and entertainment for those tuning in across the globe. Dustin and I will have a lot of fun together and our games will fit well as we push to raise funds and awareness on May 17.”
TaylorMade Driving Relief odds
Since TaylorMade Driving Relief is the first major golf event for Colorado sports fans to bet on since the launch on May 1, this is a great test run.
Prospective bettors have the usual match line odds, but also match props and hole specials.
McIlroy and Johnson are the current favorites at -175 on DraftKings and -195 on FanDuel. Fowler and Wolff are at +138 and +155, respectively.
The match props and hole specials are where you can have some fun.
From who will win the first hole and what each golfer will do to who will be leading after certain holes.
In terms of the first hole odds:
- Tie: -120 DraftKings; -150 FanDuel
- McIlroy/Johnson lead: +250 DK; +250 FD
- Fowler/Wolff lead: +300 DK; +340 FD
Before you bet, glimpse through the various offerings and see what appeals to you.
As of now, there are five apps for Colorado sports bettors to use. That is out of 17 that will launch in the future.
- DraftKings: Partner with Golden Mardi Gras
- FanDuel: Partner with Golden Gates Casino
- BetMGM: Partner with Midnight Rose Hotel and Casino
- BetRivers: Partner with J.P. McGill’s Hotel and Casino
- BetMonarch
Four-Ball skins gane
The PGA Tour website highlights that the two-man teams are set to play Four-Ball under Rule 23 of the USGA rules. Each player will play a separate ball. Each team’s score for a hole is the lower score from the two partners.
All of the money up for grabs is for charity. The team of McIlroy-Johnson will play for the American Nurses Foundation. The team of Fowler-Wolff will play for the CDC Foundation. Each team starts with $500,000 in the bank.
As the PGA Tour notes, each hole is worth a skin and in the event of a tied hole, the skin and money will carry over to the next hole.
- Holes 1-6 will each be worth $50,000.
- Holes 7-15 will each be worth $100,000.
- Hole 17 will be worth $200,000.
- Hole 18 will be worth $500,000.
Here’s an example that might arise on Sunday: If neither team wins a skin in the first six holes, then hole 7 will be worth $400,000.
On top of the skins, the PGA notes that there is also a competition for birdies and eagles.
Birdie = $25,000
Eagle = $50,000
Hole-in-One or Double Eagle = $150,000
Where will relief go?
As the Golf Channel website notes:
“Officials intend to follow CDC social distancing guidelines and will utilize appropriate testing measures to help protect the health and safety of the golfers, production crew and others on site. No fans will be allowed on site.”
In terms of who the pairs will play for and how much is being donated, the GolfChannel notes that the UnitedHealth Group has pledged $3 million in charity skins with proceeds going to the American Nurses Foundation (for which, as noted earlier, McIlroy and DJ are playing) and CDC Foundation (Fowler and Wolff). Farmers Insurance will pledge an additional $1 million for a birdies-and-eagle pool to benefit Off Their Plate, which aids COVID-19 healthcare workers.