Pay-Per-View experiment fails as golfer Mickelson trims Woods in a thriller

The first-ever streaming Pay-Per-View experiment featuring professional golf failed for Turner's Bleacher Report, but Phil Mickelson ran away with winner-takes-all $9 million in an old-fashioned one-on-one golf showdown against buddy Tiger Woods in "The Match" on Friday.

Mickelson and Woods battled to a 22-hole thriller, reported GolfWeek.

Turner, the distribution company, abandoned the paywall and switched to a free live stream of the match on its Bleacher Report website after a technical glitch choked the streaming function for the beefed-up promotional event, Variety reported.

The glitch appeared when users tried to purchase access, according to Variety.

That meant fans who paid nothing and the diehards who paid $20 to watch via PPV – accessed the same event. It's uncertain whether fans who made it through the purchase feature before it malfunctioned will be reimbursed.

To avoid any potential inability of paying fans to access the event, Turner executives erred on the side of caution and disabled the initially required paywall.

Sports writers awaiting the showdown expressed their frustration on social media.

"Bleacher Report Live stream slow or not working," tweeted ESPN reporter Darren Rovell, as Golf.com reported. "No one click button to order. Unlike boxing with PPV and undercards, after first tee shot, people aren't going to try. Potential boondoggle in the making here."

Allegedly, "thousands" of fans who tried to pay were unable to, according to Golf.com.

Tweeted Kevin Van Valkenburg, senior writer at ESPN and ESPN Magazine while trying to break through the paywall: "Literally TRYING to give B/R Live my money and cannot to watch Cat/Lefty and don't have a way to watch PPV so great job, B/R. Really shining under pressure here."

Turner's official statement seems to leave some questions unanswered:

"We experienced some technical issues on (Bleacher Report) Live that temporarily impacted user access to 'The Match.' We've taken a number of steps to resolve the matter, with our main priority being the delivery of content to those that have purchased the PPV event."

It's unclear exactly when the glitch popped up, but it may have sorely affected viewership for the much-hyped event. The number of eventual viewers is unknown, in light of a post-Thanksgiving food-induced coma and laid-back holiday that may have hampered interest in The Match.

Traditional PPV telecast distributors DirectTV, Comcast, Charter, Cox and Altice reported no problems airing the event; only Bleacher Report's first-ever test as a streaming PVP reportedly experienced problems.

Following the 4-extra holes nail-biter, Rovell mused a few hours later on Twitter:

"Not only did Turner leave a ton of money on the table but giving 18 holes away for free. They could have sold these extra holes to people who didn't buy for 99 cents each."

Held at the MGM Resort's International Shadow Creek Golf Course, "The Match" business model echoed that of historically typical PPV boxing matches in which sports betting is a major player in and out of the ring.

In keeping with Las Vegas sports gambling atmosphere, Mickelson and Woods were expected to place side bets on top of the winner-takes-all $9 million purse.

"It may not be another Tiger vs. Phil battle, but both legends see this as the potential start of some new business model in which they have a stake," wrote SBNation's Brendan Porath in the hours leading up to the event, meant to stand out from regular PGA tour events.

Some sports pundits expect Mickelson and Woods to donate at least some of their side bets to charity, reported Variety. Woods was the odds-on favorite in Las Vegas.

Turner has not released the number of fans who paid for the PPV extravaganza, but one Twitter use, replying to Variety's post, offered a theory:

"Glitch as in, no one cared enough to pay," tweeted The Griper@TheGriper.