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Mickelson and Barkley beat Curry and Manning in charity golf game

Veteran American golfer Phil Mickelson and retired NBA star Charles Barkley defeated basketball player Stephen Curry and former NFL figure Peyton Manning on Friday in a game of golf aimed at promoting racial equality.

In a show produced for television, the so-called “The Match: Champions for Change” was played over an 18-hole round at the Stone Canyon Golf Club in Oro Valley (Arizona) without the presence of of spectators.

Mickelson, the only professional golfer to compete, had three birdies while Barkley, who was known for his swing problems, performed better than expected.

“The man is strong and has a skillful and smooth touch around the green (…) He has simplified everything and has been calm,” Mickelson acknowledged to his teammate, a former Phoenix Suns star and current television commentator.

Amid the relaxed atmosphere of the event, Barkley’s erratic first tee shots sparked a few laughs but the ex-basketball player ended up doing a good job in short game.

“I’m going to keep getting better,” said Barkley, 57. “I’m getting it.”

Mickelson, winner of five PGA Grand Slam tournaments, and Barkley finally beat 4 & 3 over current Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, who owns three NBA rings, and retired quarterback Peyton Manning, winner of two Super Bowl titles, both known golfers.

The event raised $ 5.4 million in donations for “Historically black colleges and universities,” institutions of higher education that serve African-American communities.

Manning and Mickelson had already faced each other in another sports celebrity duel that raised about $ 20 million in May to fight the coronavirus pandemic, and was won by the former quarterback by pairing with Tiger Woods.

Mickelson, who on that occasion played alongside Tom Brady (star of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL), also participated in 2018 in the first edition of “The Match”, in which he defeated Tiger Woods taking a prize of nine million of dollars.

gbv/gfe

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