Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas edged Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose in the first-ever Payne’s Valley Cup, played at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri to mark the opening of Woods’ first-ever public course design, Payne’s Valley.
Woods and Thomas teamed in a Ryder Cup-style match against a pair of former world No. 1s from Europe. The match ended on the picturesque 123-yard, par-3 19th hole at Payne’s Valley, and with the match tied 2-2 Woods and Thomas got the win by virtue of a closest-to-the-pin tiebreaker after Thomas hit his final shot inside 9 feet.
The small number of spectators at the event and those of us who watched it on the Golf Channel got a special treat on the 19th hole, when Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus joined the foursome. All six tee shots landed on the island green surrounded by water and a limestone wall in the backdrop. 48 majors have been won between the six golfers. Nicklaus leads with 18, followed by 15 from Tiger.
“All six of them put it on the green.”
The Closest-to-the-Pin Contest at the 19th hole. pic.twitter.com/37lkhr4TOV
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 22, 2020
