Peyton Manning more than held his own on Sunday in The Match: Champions for Charity.”
Manning, a 6 handicap, made a natural birdie at the par-3, fourth hole and helped Team Tiger-Peyton grab a 3-up lead through six holes that proved too much for Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady to overcome.
Manning, who nearly aced the 16th hole and hit a clutch approach to the 18th green that allowed Tiger to lag a 40-foot birdie putt into gimme range and clinch the 1-up victory, joined The Rich Eisen Show on NBC Sports Network this afternoon and dropped knowledge about what it was like to team up with Tiger Woods and much, much more during the interview:
Manning on playing with Tiger Woods: “I hit a drive, so Tiger was going to be 290 yards out and he was like, ‘I got this, I got this.’ … It’s just not something I am used to hearing in my normal golf game, but that is kind of when you know you are playing with the best in the world … Not only is he the greatest golfer of all time, he is by far the best caddie and green reader ever. You talk about pressure on those putts because he tells you hit it right here and at this speed and it will go in.”
Manning on the weather in “The Match”: “I was pretty nervous just thinking about playing in perfect weather, much less playing in the rain …Maybe in some ways it kind of helped relax a little bit because your expectations kind of lower a little at that point.”
Manning on his comfort level on Sunday: “Both (Brady) and I were out of our comfort zone the entire time. I never felt comfortable one time the entire day until it was probably over. But I was certainly glad we did it.”
Manning on comparing golf to football: “You can try harder in football and I think it can work for you. In golf, it almost works the opposite way. The harder you strain, stretch, grind, sometimes the worse you play … It is just different and when you are out of your comfort zone it makes it even harder.”
Manning on asking Tiger for advice: “I didn’t ask for a whole lot of advice just because he is just different. The way he hits the ball is not really something I can relate too, much less anybody. In the alternate shot you certainly feel a little responsibility to your teammate. You want to lead your receiver right, you don’t want to hang him out.”
