We knew Rory McIlroy was planning on racing up to Sports Authority Field at Mile High this Sunday night to catch the Broncos-Colts game. And it turns out he’s bringing a couple friends: Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson.
According to the Denver Post, the players will “have passes waiting” for them whenever they’re able to show up for the game. The Broncos made plans for McIlroy and Mickelson early Monday, while Watson was added later. They’ll all be playing the BMW Championship at Cherry Hills, which is scheduled to have an awards ceremony on the 18th green at 4 p.m. MT. Kickoff for the football game nine miles north is slated for 6:30 p.m.
NBC stated during its Deutsche Bank Championship telecast on Monday that McIlroy will be on hand as a guest of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. So it’s likely that Mickelson and Watson would be too.
Then again, while McIlroy’s NFL allegiances are unknown – he’s from Northern Ireland, after all, and his favorite football team is Manchester United – Mickelson is an avid follower of the San Diego Chargers. In general, Chargers fans aren’t fond of the Broncos, their AFC West rival. Mickelson will probably be pulling for the Colts, considering the Broncos have won his team’s division the past three years.
Watson, meanwhile, is a fan of the Saints — or at least The Greenbrier, where New Orleans holds training camp.
As for the golf tournament, McIlroy, Mickelson and Watson hope to be playing late into the afternoon on Sunday. In fact, if Mickelson isn’t, there’s a good chance he’ll be playing his final PGA Tour event of the season. After tying for 45th at the Deutsche Bank, he’s ranked 56th out of the top 70 golfers who will be in Denver, and if he doesn’t play well enough to jump into the top 30, he won’t make it to next week’s Tour Championship.
Watson sits at No. 6 in the FedExCup standings after a T-29 at the Deutsche Bank, so he’s set for the season finale. He’s looking for a third win this season after taking his second Masters in April.
And McIlroy is No. 2 in overall points. He tied for fifth on Monday at the Deutsche Bank, and would take a huge lead into the Tour Championship if he were to win the BMW Championship. McIlroy has never won the FedExCup.
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