Monday Night Golf
Encyclopedia
Monday Night Golf was a series of seven match play
golf
challenge matches that ran from 1999 to 2005. All the matches involved World Number 1
Tiger Woods
, and were run by his representatives
IMG
, and broadcast on ABC Sports
. It marked the first time that live golf had been shown in prime time
during the week in the United States
.
The first match was played at Sherwood Country Club
, and dubbed the Showdown at Sherwood. The next three were held at Bighorn Golf Club and known as the Battle at Bighorn, and the final three were known as the Battle at the Bridges and played at The Bridges Club.
Monday Night Golf proved to be an initial success, drawing more viewers than the final round of the U.S. Open
, and being second only to the final round of the Masters Tournament in terms of golf broadcasts. Ratings
increased significantly for the second match, but they declined rapidly after that, and the event was finally cancelled after the 2005 edition.
, then world number 2 and also a client of IMG. In order for the match to be played in daylight and still be shown live during prime time Eastern Standard Time
, it was held in the West, at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California
. Sherwood paid $1,000,000 to host the event, which was dubbed the Showdown at Sherwood.
The match was eagerly anticipated as a head to head between the two leading players at the time, and contested over 18 holes in a matchplay format. Woods won the match 2&1 to collect a check for $1,100,000, with Duval picking up $400,000. Both players donated $200,000 to charity, split between the First Tee initiative and charities of their choice. The match proved to be a ratings success, drawing a 6.9 national Nielsen rating
, higher than what had been predicted by broadcasters ABC Sports.
on August 28, 2000 between Tiger Woods and Sergio García
, who had made the headlines when finishing as runner-up to Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship
. As with the previous year, the match was contested over 18 holes in matchplay format, with the winner collecting $1,100,000 and the runner-up $400,000.
The Battle at Bighorn, as it was titled, was won by García 1up, and as in 1999, both players donated a portion of their winnings to charity. The match was an even bigger ratings success than the inaugural event, drawing a 7.6 Nielsen rating, which proved to be the highest in the series.
(alternate shot) matchplay. Tiger Woods and David Duval, who had contested the Showdown at Sherwood two years previously, were joined by the worlds two leading female golfers, as organisers sought to raise the profile of the women's game. Woods was paired with Annika Sörenstam
, and Duval with Karrie Webb
.
The match finished under lights
and was won by Woods and Sörenstam with a par at the first extra hole. They had come from 2 behind with three holes to play, Sörenstam taking the match into sudden death by holing a 10 foot birdie putt on the 18th.
Woods and Sörenstam shared the $1,200,000 winners check, with Duval and Webb sharing $500,000. Viewing figures for this third show were down markedly from the previous year, returning a 6.1 Nielsen rating.
winner Jack Nicklaus
, and García with 6 time major winner Lee Trevino
, who triumphed over Nicklaus in a play-off for the 1971 U.S. Open
.
The match was won by Woods and Nicklaus 3 & 2, with Woods making the major contribution, recording nine birdies in the 16 holes that were played. Despite the apparent attraction of some of the biggest names in golf, viewing figures had fallen even further from the previous years low, with this fourth instalment generating a 5.1 Nielsen rating.
players. Woods and García were again in opposition, this time paired with Ernie Els
and Phil Mickelson
respectively. The match also had a new venue, The Bridges Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California
, and was titled Battle at the Bridges as a result.
The match finished under lights, with García and Mickelson coming out on top, defeating their then world number one and two ranked opponents 3 & 1. García eagled the 16th hole to put himself and Mickelson on the road to the $1,200,000 winners prize. Woods and Els shared $500,000, with $300,000 being donated to charity.
For the third year running, viewing figures fell, with the first instalment of a three year deal at the Bridges recording a 4.6 Nielsen rating.
to take on the pairing of Phil Mickelson and John Daly
.
Daly and Mickelson started well and were 2 up through 12 holes, but Woods and Kuehne made three straight birdies followed by an eagle to win the next four holes and take a 2 up lead themselves. They halved the 17th hole to win the match 2 & 1.
Ratings for the Battle at the Bridges continued to slide, with the 2004 edition producing a 3.6 Nielsen rating, the lowest of the series to date.
and Ernie Els but Singh refused to take part, so Tiger Woods was teamed up with John Daly, to take on Mickelson and Els. However Els later withdrew and was replaced by Retief Goosen
.
In the most one sided match of the series, Mickelson and Goosen won 5 & 3, to collect $500,000 each plus $100,000 for each of their nominated charities. Woods and Daly picked up $200,000 each, with $50,000 for their charities. It was also the first match not to reach the floodlit last three holes, as Goosen made four birdies in six holes to seal the win at the 15th.
With ratings failing to pick up, and Woods stating his desire to take a break from the event, this proved to be the final match in the series.
Match play
Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...
golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
challenge matches that ran from 1999 to 2005. All the matches involved World Number 1
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, and were run by his representatives
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
IMG
IMG (business)
IMG, originally known as the International Management Group is a global sports and media business headquartered in New York City.-History:...
, and broadcast on ABC Sports
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
. It marked the first time that live golf had been shown in prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
during the week in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The first match was played at Sherwood Country Club
Sherwood Country Club
Sherwood Country Club is a private, member owned golf and country club set at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains in Thousand Oaks, California. Sherwood is home to a championship 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, driving range and Georgian architecture golf clubhouse...
, and dubbed the Showdown at Sherwood. The next three were held at Bighorn Golf Club and known as the Battle at Bighorn, and the final three were known as the Battle at the Bridges and played at The Bridges Club.
Monday Night Golf proved to be an initial success, drawing more viewers than the final round of the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, and being second only to the final round of the Masters Tournament in terms of golf broadcasts. Ratings
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
increased significantly for the second match, but they declined rapidly after that, and the event was finally cancelled after the 2005 edition.
1999 Showdown at Sherwood
The first challenge match was played on August 2, 1999 between Tiger Woods and David DuvalDavid Duval
David Robert Duval is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour.-Early years:...
, then world number 2 and also a client of IMG. In order for the match to be played in daylight and still be shown live during prime time Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
, it was held in the West, at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....
. Sherwood paid $1,000,000 to host the event, which was dubbed the Showdown at Sherwood.
The match was eagerly anticipated as a head to head between the two leading players at the time, and contested over 18 holes in a matchplay format. Woods won the match 2&1 to collect a check for $1,100,000, with Duval picking up $400,000. Both players donated $200,000 to charity, split between the First Tee initiative and charities of their choice. The match proved to be a ratings success, drawing a 6.9 national Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, higher than what had been predicted by broadcasters ABC Sports.
Scorecards
| Hole | Par | Yardage | Woods score | Duval score | Match score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 385 | 4 | 3 | Duval 1up |
| 2 | 5 | 522 | 6 | 5 | Duval 2up |
| 3 | 3 | 188 | 3 | 4 | Duval 1up |
| 4 | 5 | 541 | 4 | 5 | AS |
| 5 | 4 | 457 | 4 | 4 | AS |
| 6 | 3 | 186 | 2 | X | Woods 1up |
| 7 | 5 | 537 | 4 | 4 | Woods 1up |
| 8 | 3 | 166 | 2 | 3 | Woods 2up |
| 9 | 4 | 446 | 4 | 4 | Woods 2up |
| 10 | 4 | 341 | 4 | 4 | Woods 2up |
| 11 | 5 | 531 | 5 | 5 | Woods 2up |
| 12 | 3 | 202 | 2 | 3 | Woods 3up |
| 13 | 4 | 459 | 5 | 4 | Woods 2up |
| 14 | 5 | 534 | 5 | 4 | Woods 1up |
| 15 | 4 | 425 | 4 | 4 | Woods 1up |
| 16 | 4 | 449 | 3 | 5 | Woods 2up |
| 17 | 3 | 232 | 3 | 3 | Woods wins 2 & 1 |
| 18 | 4 | 424 | – | – |
2000 Battle at Bighorn
The second challenge match was played over the Canyons course at Bighorn Golf Club in Indio, CaliforniaIndio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
on August 28, 2000 between Tiger Woods and Sergio García
Sergio García
Sergio García Fernández is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on both the United States PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has spent much of his career in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings...
, who had made the headlines when finishing as runner-up to Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship
1999 PGA Championship
The 1999 PGA Championship was the 81st PGA Championship held from August 12–15 at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. Tiger Woods won his first PGA Championship and second overall major by one stroke over 19-year old Sergio García....
. As with the previous year, the match was contested over 18 holes in matchplay format, with the winner collecting $1,100,000 and the runner-up $400,000.
The Battle at Bighorn, as it was titled, was won by García 1up, and as in 1999, both players donated a portion of their winnings to charity. The match was an even bigger ratings success than the inaugural event, drawing a 7.6 Nielsen rating, which proved to be the highest in the series.
Scorecards
| Hole | Par | Yardage | Woods score | García score | Match score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 429 | 4 | 5 | Woods 1up |
| 2 | 4 | 435 | 4 | 4 | Woods 1up |
| 3 | 5 | 531 | 5 | 4 | AS |
| 4 | 4 | 447 | 4 | 4 | AS |
| 5 | 4 | 367 | 4 | 5 | Woods 1up |
| 6 | 3 | 183 | 3 | 3 | Woods 1up |
| 7 | 5 | 519 | 4 | 4 | Woods 1up |
| 8 | 3 | 220 | 3 | 2 | AS |
| 9 | 4 | 449 | 4 | 4 | AS |
| 10 | 4 | 397 | 3 | 3 | AS |
| 11 | 4 | 434 | 4 | 4 | AS |
| 12 | 5 | 550 | 5 | 5 | AS |
| 13 | 3 | 227 | 3 | 3 | AS |
| 14 | 4 | 351 | 3 | 3 | AS |
| 15 | 5 | 538 | 4 | 4 | AS |
| 16 | 3 | 194 | 3 | 2 | García 1up |
| 17 | 4 | 457 | 4 | 4 | García 1up |
| 18 | 4 | 355 | X | 3 | García wins 1up |
2001 Battle at Bighorn
The second Battle at Bighorn saw a change of format, with two mixed teams competing over 18 holes in foursomesFoursome (golf)
A foursome, also known as alternate shot, is a type of match in the sport of golf.Golfers compete in teams of two, using one ball, and taking alternate shots until the hole is completed. Team members also take turns in teeing off on each hole, i.e...
(alternate shot) matchplay. Tiger Woods and David Duval, who had contested the Showdown at Sherwood two years previously, were joined by the worlds two leading female golfers, as organisers sought to raise the profile of the women's game. Woods was paired with Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam
Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...
, and Duval with Karrie Webb
Karrie Webb
Karrie Ann Webb AM is Australia's most successful female professional golfer, and one of the top players in the history of global women's golf. She currently plays mainly on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and also turns out once or twice a year on the ALPG Tour in her home country. She is a member of...
.
The match finished under lights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
and was won by Woods and Sörenstam with a par at the first extra hole. They had come from 2 behind with three holes to play, Sörenstam taking the match into sudden death by holing a 10 foot birdie putt on the 18th.
Woods and Sörenstam shared the $1,200,000 winners check, with Duval and Webb sharing $500,000. Viewing figures for this third show were down markedly from the previous year, returning a 6.1 Nielsen rating.
Scorecards
| Hole | Par | Yardage | Woods/Sörenstam score | Duval/Webb score | Match score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 429 | 5 | 5 | AS |
| 2 | 4 | 416 | 4 | 5 | Woods/Sörenstam 1up |
| 3 | 5 | 531 | 5 | 4 | AS |
| 4 | 4 | 447 | 4 | 4 | AS |
| 5 | 4 | 367 | 3 | 5 | Woods/Sörenstam 1up |
| 6 | 3 | 175 | 3 | 3 | Woods/Sörenstam 1up |
| 7 | 5 | 519 | 4 | 5 | Woods/Sörenstam 2up |
| 8 | 3 | 202 | 3 | 3 | Woods/Sörenstam 2up |
| 9 | 4 | 449 | 5 | 4 | Woods/Sörenstam 1up |
| 10 | 4 | 397 | 6 | 4 | AS |
| 11 | 4 | 434 | 6 | 4 | Duval/Webb 1up |
| 12 | 5 | 550 | 5 | 6 | AS |
| 13 | 3 | 227 | 3 | 3 | AS |
| 14 | 4 | 351 | 5 | 4 | Duval/Webb 1up |
| 15 | 5 | 528 | 5 | 4 | Duval/Webb 2up |
| 16 | 3 | 163 | 3 | 4 | Duval/Webb 1up |
| 17 | 4 | 443 | 5 | 5 | Duval/Webb 1up |
| 18 | 4 | 355 | 3 | 4 | AS |
| 19 (18) | 4 | 355 | 4 | X | Woods/Sörenstam win in 19 holes |
2002 Battle at Bighorn
The third Battle at Bighorn took place on July 29, 2002, and saw another change of format as Tiger Woods and Sergio García, who had fought out the first Bighorn match, were joined by two of golfs all time greats in a fourball betterball matchplay contest. Woods was paired with 18 time majorMen's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
winner Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
, and García with 6 time major winner Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino
Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...
, who triumphed over Nicklaus in a play-off for the 1971 U.S. Open
1971 U.S. Open Golf Championship
The 1971 U.S. Open Championship was the 71st U.S. Open played June 17-21 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Lee Trevino won the championship in an 18-hole playoff over Jack Nicklaus .-Final leaderboard:-External links:...
.
The match was won by Woods and Nicklaus 3 & 2, with Woods making the major contribution, recording nine birdies in the 16 holes that were played. Despite the apparent attraction of some of the biggest names in golf, viewing figures had fallen even further from the previous years low, with this fourth instalment generating a 5.1 Nielsen rating.
Scorecards
| Hole | Par | Yardage | Woods/Nicklaus score | García/Trevino score | Match score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 429 | 3 | 4 | Woods/Nicklaus 1up |
| 2 | 4 | 416 | 3 | 4 | Woods/Nicklaus 2up |
| 3 | 5 | 531 | 4 | 4 | Woods/Nicklaus 2up |
| 4 | 4 | 447 | 4 | 3 | Woods/Nicklaus 1up |
| 5 | 4 | 367 | 4 | 3 | All square |
| 6 | 3 | 175 | 3 | 2 | García/Trevino 1up |
| 7 | 5 | 519 | 4 | 5 | All square |
| 8 | 3 | 202 | 2 | 3 | Woods/Nicklaus 1up |
| 9 | 4 | 449 | 3 | 4 | Woods/Nicklaus 2up |
| 10 | 4 | 397 | 3 | 5 | Woods/Nicklaus 3up |
| 11 | 4 | 434 | 4 | 3 | Woods/Nicklaus 2up |
| 12 | 5 | 550 | 4 | 4 | Woods/Nicklaus 2up |
| 13 | 3 | 227 | 2 | 3 | Woods/Nicklaus 3up |
| 14 | 4 | 351 | 3 | 3 | Woods/Nicklaus 3up |
| 15 | 5 | 528 | 4 | 4 | Woods/Nicklaus 3up |
| 16 | 3 | 163 | 3 | 3 | Woods/Nicklaus win 3 & 2 |
| 17 | 4 | 443 | – | – | |
| 18 | 4 | 355 | – | – |
2003 Battle at the Bridges
The fifth match in the series took place on July 28, 2003, and used the same fourball format as the previous year, but with four top PGA TourPGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
players. Woods and García were again in opposition, this time paired with Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing...
and Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
respectively. The match also had a new venue, The Bridges Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe known locally as ″The Ranch″, is one of the most exclusive and affluent communities in Southern California. It is also a census-designated place in San Diego County, California and an unincorporated bedroom community of San Diego County...
, and was titled Battle at the Bridges as a result.
The match finished under lights, with García and Mickelson coming out on top, defeating their then world number one and two ranked opponents 3 & 1. García eagled the 16th hole to put himself and Mickelson on the road to the $1,200,000 winners prize. Woods and Els shared $500,000, with $300,000 being donated to charity.
For the third year running, viewing figures fell, with the first instalment of a three year deal at the Bridges recording a 4.6 Nielsen rating.
2004 Battle at the Bridges
The second Battle at the Bridges was played on August 2, 2004, in the now established fourball betterball format. The theme was long drivers. Tiger Woods was joined by Hank KuehneHank Kuehne
Henry August "Hank" Kuehne II is an American former U.S. Amateur champion and professional golfer who enjoyed some success on the PGA Tour....
to take on the pairing of Phil Mickelson and John Daly
John Daly (golfer)
John Patrick Daly is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour.Daly is known primarily for his driving distance off the tee , his non-country club appearance and attitude, and his rough-and-tumble personal life. Daly remains one of the most popular and intriguing figures on the PGA Tour...
.
Daly and Mickelson started well and were 2 up through 12 holes, but Woods and Kuehne made three straight birdies followed by an eagle to win the next four holes and take a 2 up lead themselves. They halved the 17th hole to win the match 2 & 1.
Ratings for the Battle at the Bridges continued to slide, with the 2004 edition producing a 3.6 Nielsen rating, the lowest of the series to date.
2005 Battle at the Bridges
The final Battle at the Bridges took place on on July 25, 2005. Organisers had wanted this last exhibition to be contested by the big four names in world golf at the time, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay SinghVijay Singh
Vijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
and Ernie Els but Singh refused to take part, so Tiger Woods was teamed up with John Daly, to take on Mickelson and Els. However Els later withdrew and was replaced by Retief Goosen
Retief Goosen
Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S...
.
In the most one sided match of the series, Mickelson and Goosen won 5 & 3, to collect $500,000 each plus $100,000 for each of their nominated charities. Woods and Daly picked up $200,000 each, with $50,000 for their charities. It was also the first match not to reach the floodlit last three holes, as Goosen made four birdies in six holes to seal the win at the 15th.
With ratings failing to pick up, and Woods stating his desire to take a break from the event, this proved to be the final match in the series.
Ratings
These rating percentages are equal to for 1 point is 1 percent of American TV's are tuned into the golf programming.| Year | Competitors | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Tiger Woods vs. David Duval | 6.9 |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods vs. Sergio García | 7.6 |
| 2001 | Woods/Sörenstam vs. Duval/Webb | 6.1 |
| 2002 | Woods/Nicklaus vs. García/Trevino | 5.1 |
| 2003 | Woods/Els vs. García/Mickelson | 4.6 |
| 2004 | Woods/Kuehne vs. Mickelson/Daly | 3.6 |
| 2005 | Woods/Daly vs. Goosen/Mickelson | 3.0 |
Records
| Golfer | Win | Loss | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retief Goosen | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Hank Kuehne | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Annika Sörenstam | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Sergio García | 2 | 1 | .667 |
| Phil Mickelson | 2 | 1 | .667 |
| Tiger Woods | 4 | 3 | .571 |
| Ernie Els | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Lee Trevino | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Karrie Webb | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| David Duval | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| John Daly | 0 | 2 | .000 |