Woods, Peyton Manning paired together in pro-am

April 30, 2009

Tiger Woods crouched behind the ball and eyed the cup with his steely glare. He then rose, moved forward and placed his putter to the left of the hole.

Peyton Manning nodded, addressed the ball - and missed the putt.

Bad read, a fan yelled, producing a burst of laughter from the overflow crowd surrounding the 15th green.

It was part of a morning of needling, smiles, American football talk - and some good ball-striking, too - as the worlds No. 1 golfer played 18 holes with his three-time NFL MVP friend in the Quail Hollow Championship pro-am on Wednesday.

We dont get a chance to do it very often with our schedules, and seasons overlapping at the wrong times, so when we do get an opportunity like that, its fun, Woods said of playing with the Indianapolis Colts quarterback. Its trash talking the entire day.

The grouping of the two superstars marked the second time that Woods was not the sole attraction the day before the tournament began. Before winning the 2007 event here, Woods played the pro-am with Michael Jordan.

Mannings presence created a similar rare scene of fans waiting for Woods to clear the green so they could surround Manning with No. 18 jerseys and Colts helmets to sign.

Whether its Peyton or when I played out here with MJ, we have fun, and thats the thing, Woods said. These guys are my friends, and its great to play with friends.

The 6-foot-1 (1.86-meterO Woods had to look up at the 6-5 (1.96) Manning as they chatted in fairways and tee boxes. A bond created by their understanding of the pressure of fame and expectations, they became friends several years ago.

The duo played in a pro-am in 2005 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Theyve also played private rounds together as recently as March in Florida.

Wednesday was hardly private. They teed off at 7:30 a.m. with several hundred fans craning their necks to see around the first tee. The crowd following them swelled into the thousands as the morning wore on.

Its everything youd think it would be, Manning said. Its really special. Watching him hit the ball, listening to him hit the ball, he tells great golf stories.

He has a great interest in football. He follows football, keeps up with the Colts, which is cool. Hes a great host. He played great today and we had a lot of fun.

Mannings not a bad golfer, either, although he acknowledged he had to overcome some early nerves. He showed a powerful drive and decent iron game as he played from the member tees.

He can give it out with the best of them, Manning said of Woods. The problem is Im always on his turf.

This is true, very true, Woods said, laughing. Keep it that way.

After they each parred the final hole, the winner of 14 major titles and the former Super Bowl MVP shook hands and smiled before signing autographs for throngs of fans.

They then parted ways. Woods went to hit more balls as he prepared for Thursdays first round in his first tournament since the Masters.

Manning headed home.

I know what my day job is. Ill be back in Indianapolis in probably two hours lifting weights, Manning said. Well be brought back to earth real soon.