Mickelson won on the 22nd hole, and a lot of viewers were able to avoid the $19.99 fee because technical glitches forced one of the providers to offer free online access to the event.
It took 22 holes for Phil Mickelson to defeat Tiger Woods in their $9 million, winner-take-all golf duel on Friday in North Las Vegas, Nev. The four extra holes forced the pair to finish after nightfall and under the lights at Shadow Creek Golf Course, but the most dramatic development of this exhibition match might have been the faltering of its pay-per-view coverage.
The match, believed to be golf’s first pay-per-view venture, was supposed to cost $19.99 to watch, but a lot of people got to see it free because of a glitch at one of the outlets. (The gallery at Shadow Creek was limited to invited guests.)
B/R Live — the sports streaming platform for Turner Sports, which produced the duel between Woods and Mickelson — had technical difficulties at the point of purchase, a Turner spokesman said.
