Are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning Any Good at Golf?
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are feverously preparing for “The Match: Champions for Charity” on Sunday. The four-ball match will pin Brady and Phil Mickelson against Manning and Tiger Woods, so the two quarterbacks have to bring their A-games if they want to impress their legendary partners. Both Brady and Manning have played extensive golf in the past, but how good are they and can they compete with the pros?
Peyton Manning’s golf game is as strong as his trash talk
When Peyton Manning steps onto the course Sunday afternoon, he will do anything in his power to get in his opponents’ heads. Manning loves to talk trash on the golf course, just like he did in the NFL.
Manning has already been talking trash in the weeks leading up to The Match. During a recent video call with Mickelson, Brady, and Woods, Manning made a joke about Brady’s breaking and entering mishap in Florida. He also took a shot at Brady for leaving New England.
As cool and calculating Manning is with his mouth, he’s the same way with his golf game.
“Peyton is going to be Steady Eddie, he’s going to be like, you know, he can shoot high 70s, but he’s probably more like a low-80s-type guy, and he’s cool with that,” former Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker told ESPN. “[Manning] is never going to have a triple [bogey] … he’s going to be a par-bogey type of guy around the course.”
In 2013, Manning shot 77 at Augusta National while he was still playing for the Broncos. He even made a hole-in-one during that round. Manning is a member of Augusta National and Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, and he has a 6.4 handicap.
Tom Brady has the golf skill of a Tour pro when he’s on his game
Tom Brady is still playing at a high level in the NFL, so he has less time to hit the links than Manning does nowadays. However, when Brady gets warmed up, he’s lethal on the course.
Brady has played in multiple Pro-Am tournaments on the PGA Tour. In 2014, he played with James Driscoll in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he impressed on day 3. Driscoll said Brady shot a blazing 3-under on the front nine, including an eagle on the par-5 second hole.
“He basically played nine holes like a tour pro — hitting his drives 300 yards, hitting his seven iron like 180 (yards) and making putts,” Driscoll said. “He literally played those nine holes like a tour pro. I was like, ‘Oh my God. This guy is incredible.'”
Brady is a member of The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., where he has an 8.1 handicap. If he has enough practice going into a round, however, Brady can go much lower.
Brady and Manning will face off in The Match this Sunday
We all know what Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will bring to the table Sunday. The two played a remarkably even match the first time around, and Mickelson edged Woods out in a playoff. The X-factor here will be the QBs.
Brady is more sporadic because he doesn’t get to play as often, but he can go lower than Manning if he’s on his game. Manning is the more consistent golfer who will shoot around 80 and stay calm under pressure.
Whoever plays better Sunday will most likely lead their team to victory, as Mickelson and Woods will battle each other evenly.
Who ya got in The Match this Sunday?
