Brooks Koepka and Russell Wilson deserve recognition for generous donations during Champions for Charity Golf Match

Even though Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and four-time major champion Brooks Koepka of West Palm Beach, Florida were not active participants in Sunday’s “Champions for Charity Golf Match,” their generous financial contributions to the coronavirus relief effort cannot go unrecognized. Wilson and his wife Ciara will be donating 300,000 meals through the charity “Feeding America”, while Koepka will be donating $100,000.

In the famous charity match on Sunday which contained two remarkable quarterbacks (Peyton Manning and Tom Brady) along with two legendary golfers (Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson), Woods and Manning defeated Brady and Mickelson 1-up. The golfers had to battle Mother Nature as there was heavy rain at the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, FL.

The donations made by Koepka and Wilson came with an interesting twist. Koepka promised to donate $100,000 if Brady had one par. Wilson promised to donate 100,000 meals for every competitor who delivered a tee shot within 12 feet of the hole on the 16th hole.

Brady delivered with not just a par, but a remarkable birdie on the par-five seventh hole. The quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers capitalized by executing a very difficult approach shot successfully.

On the 16th hole meanwhile, Brady, Manning, and Mickelson all got their tee shots within 12 feet of the hole. Remarkably, the only golfer who struggled to get the ball near the hole was the 15-time major champion, Tiger Woods.

In the 18 holes of golf, Woods did have a noticeable advantage because he is a member of the Medalist Golf Club. He put himself and Manning up early 1-up with a birdie on the third hole. Manning then put he and Woods 2-up with a 20-foot birdie on the fourth hole. Manning then sank a second birdie on the sixth hole to give him and Woods a commanding three-up lead.

On the back nine the match switched from best ball to alternate shot. Here, Mickelson and Brady had the edge. On the 11th hole, Brady executed by sinking an eagle putt, and then on the par-four 14th, Brady and Mickelson won that hole when Manning and Woods had a bogey.

In all, $20 million was raised in the charity golf event. The charities which benefitted include American Red Cross, Save Small Business, Feeding America, the All-in-Challenge, and Direct Relief. There are currently 1,705,179 cases of coronavirus in the United States and 99,771 deaths.