Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods shake hands at a press conference prior to The Match's golf match: Tiger vs. Phil on Shadow Creek Golf Course.(Photo: Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to think about the year, spend time with loved ones, watch a football match and, of course, the match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

15 hours. AND Friday in Las Vegas The magnificent and exclusive Shadow Creek, two of the greatest golfers not only of this generation, but of all time, will face mano-a-mano during a match-play for a prize of $ 9 million. dollars. Many people, from USA TODAY Sports columnist Christine Brennan to four-time champion Rory McIlroy, said they did not intend to watch The Match.

For my life, I can not understand why. It's something we've never seen before and we could never see again.

Everyday sports fans will argue that watching golf à la carte costs $ 19.99. They will say that if an event like this were to happen, it should have been 10 years ago, when Woods and Mickelson were not well past their peak.

Of course, $ 19.99 can be a bit expensive for an event that could end in an hour if Tiger or Lefty dominate (or collapse). But such an event will never happen again. Picture LeBron James and Kobe Bryant play one-on-one.

It's the game.

Both players won a PGA Tour tournament last season. Mickelson won the World Golf Championships – Mexico, an event where only the world's best qualified, and Woods won the Tour Championship, the last event of the Tour's season featuring the top 30 players of the year.

Woods ranked seven in the top 10 and 12 in the top 25. Mickelson had six and 15 respectively.

Not bad for past their premium.

The competition itself aside, what about the side bets?

The sponsors sponsor the $ 9 million prize, but Woods and Mickelson invest part of their own money in parallel bets throughout the competition, all of which goes to a charity. On Tuesday, Mickelson bet Woods on a $ 200,000 bet that he would make a birdie on the first hole. Expect a lot more just like that.

The other expected bets will be long and close races, both players also offering silver challenges on putts and ups and downs. The bets will probably be between $ 10,000 and $ 50,000 per bet.

As if this match needed more pressure.

Finally, let's talk about the incredible quality of the broadcast.

Both players and their caddies will carry microphones. The drone coverage will provide "camera angles never seen before for a live golf event". Real-time, hole-by-hole statistics will show the probability of different results.

Charles Barkley, Samuel L. Jackson and PGA Tour player Pat Perez will participate in an hour-long pre-show. Ernie Johnson will serve as a match-for-match announcer alongside former players Peter Jacobsen and Darren Clarke.

Barkley and Jackson are pure entertainment on their own. Perez is known on Tour for expressing his opinion, especially on Tiger.

So while you're sitting Friday afternoon, rest after Thursday's food and football party, tune into The Match.

You will never see anything like this again.

Follow Adam Woodard on Twitter @ AdamWoodard.

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