Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas trolled Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy after cruising to a convincing victory over the iconic duo in the latest edition of 'The Match'.
US Ryder Cup stars Spieth and Thomas made light work of close friends McIlroy and Woods in a one-sided showdown under the lights at Florida's Pelican Golf Club. The American duo wrapped up their 3&2 victory on the 10th hole of the made-for-TV exhibition event - combining for seven birdies compared to Woods and McIlroy's one.
Spieth and Thomas - who share five major titles - were the dominant team in a charity match that raised huge funds to support relief efforts after Hurricane Ian struck in October. Woods was playing in front of the cameras for the first time since missing the cut at the 150th Open at St Andrews in July, following his late withdrawal from the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas last week.
But the 15-time major champion was unsurprisingly rusty and the on-song Spieth and Thomas took victory with ease. World no.1 McIlroy and Woods did have some fun as the duo joked about Thomas missing a putt when they finally pulled a hole back on the seventh.
After McIlroy rolled in a fine putt of his own, the mic'd up stars teased Thomas for his missed effort. "Good speed," Woods sarcastically claimed. "Good line too," McIlroy added.
But it wouldn't take long for Spieth and Thomas to get the last word after an entertaining encounter as a birdie on the 10th sealed the win with two holes to play. "Tiger and Rory, what happened?" the duo joked on Twitter. "How do you lose to us two? It's alright, everybody does!"
Spieth and Thomas enjoyed poking fun at Woods and McIlroy, but the contest was ultimately played in good spirits and was aimed to target a new audience of future golf fans as well as raising money for the hurricane relief efforts. Woods was pleased to take part for a third time in the seventh overall instalment of 'The Match'.
"We were able to do something under the lights that never before happened in our sport, to be able to grow it in a different way," he said.
Woods will make a quick return to competitive action with 13-year-old son Charlie at next weekend's PNC Championship, where the father-son duo will play in the unique 36-hole scramble tournament in Orlando.
