Woods defends pay-per-view airing for Mickelson showdown

Tiger Woods has defended the decision to show his blockbuster Thanksgiving showdown with Phil Mickelson solely on pay-per-view television.

On Wednesday, it was confirmed that the two great PGA Tour rivals would go head to head in an exhibition contest in Las Vegas in late November. The pair, with 19 major triumphs between them, will reportedly battle it out for a winner-takes-all $9million purse.

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After finishing his opening round at the Northern Trust on Thursday, where he shot an even-par 71, Woods was asked about opting against airing the Mickelson match on a freely available service.

"How many times have we all purchased fights, whether it's MMA or boxing, whatever it may be. We all purchase those fights. We're able to showcase golf at a different time and different platforms and I think this will be fun," Woods said.

"It's 18 holes, so anybody can win an 18-hole boat race. We're going to have fun doing something that's never been done before."