The Match: A look back at the nine televised golf matches

It’s been nearly six years since the first edition of The Match, the Silly Season golf event television series featuring everyone from PGA Tour legends to current NFL and NBA stars.

During that time, golf fans have been treated to seven different matches, the most recent being the first to be played in a mixed-team format.

While the first edition of The Match — Woods vs. Phil Mickelson in November 2018 in Las Vegas — didn’t live up to the hype, it proved there was a market for the competition. Over the years, the matches have evolved into charitable endeavors benefiting COVID-19 victims and HBCUs, while also offering golf fans a unique product outside of 72-hole stroke-play tournaments.

1. The Match: Champions for Charity

THE best match to date. Champions for Charity, held on May 24, 2020 at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida, was a sequel to the first game and once again featured Woods and Mickelson, this time teamed up with NFL legends Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, respectively. Woods and Manning won, 1 up.

The game raised over $20 million for COVID-19 relief at a time when it was desperately needed, was a record-breaking golf broadcast, and on top of that, we all had a I watched Brady rip his pants on national television. More seriously, the players delivered (despite the weather), as did course analyst Justin Thomas, who showed that he has a bright future on television when he is no longer in the world’s top 10 golfers.

In fact, one of the best moments of the show was Thomas’ verbal taunt of host Charles Barkley when he said, “Chuck, I would love to see your fat ass try to dunk a basketball right now.”

It was entertaining, captivating and charitable. What more could fans ask for?

2. The Match: Quarterback Edition

The second best match may well be the only one so far not to include a professional golfer.

In the summer showdown between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers versus Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, NFL veterans and rising stars battled to the bitter end at Wynn Las Vegas, where Rodgers once again made the game-winning shot (more on that to come).

It was different from the previous five versions of the series and the personalities passed on.

3. First mixed team The Match

At its ninth edition of The Match, held in February at The Park in West Palm Beach, Florida, the televised golf event The tournament featured a mix of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players on Monday night, as Max Homa, Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang faced off in a 12-hole mixed match at The Park in West Palm Beach, Florida.

But 12 holes were not enough as the event ended in a sudden-death playoff and McIlroy sealed the deal, sinking a shot from 4 feet, 2 inches to take his total for the night to $2.4 million and win a gold Tiffany bracelet for his efforts.

4. NFL vs. NBA

Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce won four of their first six holes at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas in June 2023 to take a comfortable lead over the Splash Bros. of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors. Even after a late surge by the Warriors team, it was Chiefs win Game VIII 3-2Curry and Mahomes had played in the series before — both players lost — while their teammates were making their debuts. This was the third game at the Wynn.

5. Match IV

The fourth installment took place on July 6, 2021 at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady teamed up against another pair of PGA Tour/NFL QBs, Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers.

Match IV benefited My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, Feeding America and the Montana Food Bank Network. More than $2.6 million was donated to My Brother’s Keeper and more than 6.3 million meals were donated.

Coming to this point, I’m not gonna lie, I felt a little bad for DeChambeau. I mean, the guy was taking shots from his own teammate. After a bad joke on the first hole followed by a photo with bunny ears, the stage was set for some embarrassing attempts at humor from the big bomber. And then he chipped in for birdie on the first hole to give him and Rodgers the lead.

Mickelson and Brady led for just three holes, with Rodgers carrying his weight from tee to green. At one point, six of his seven drives were played, and he began walking his putts.

Rodgers brought his dry humor and jokes, Mickelson and DeChambeau gave tips and tricks while throwing bombs, Brady was Brady and everyone had a good time. In the end, it was Mickelson and Brady who came away with the 3-2 victory.

6. Match VII

Held under the lights at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida on December 10, 2022, it featured the return of Tiger Woods alongside Rory McIlroy in a 12-hole battle with Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

Spieth and Thomas won easily, 3 and 2, which should not have been a surprise. After all, in four team events in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, the young Americans are 8-2-0, not to mention the fact that Woods is treat plantar fasciitis as well as his recovery from a car accident in which he nearly lost a leg.

The tweets were pretty good, but most of the good lines came from Spieth and Thomas. Woods was Woods and delivered his classic quips, but fans wanted more from McIlroy. That said, the night golf visual was a fun change of scenery and opens the door for more adventurous matches in the future.

7. The match: the champions of change

The third match, Champions for Change, ended early. Held on November 27, 2020, at Stone Canyon Club in Oro Valley, Arizona, outside Tucson, Mickelson teamed with Charles Barkley to easily defeat Peyton Manning and Stephen Curry, 4 and 3. Over the 15 holes it took Mickelson and Barkley to win, $4.4 million was raised for History Black Colleges and Universities. With the additional challenge holes, the total increased to $5.4 million.

Three analysts (Andre Iguodala, Gary McCord and Cheyenne Woods), two guys (Brian Anderson and Trevor Immelman) in the booth and four players with mics on a pandemic-impacted broadcast was a recipe for disaster on the production side for viewers. On the course, Barkley’s revamped swing and hilarious remarks kept this event from being bad, but certainly didn’t provide the same momentum as the others.

8. The match: Bryson vs. Brooks

For all the build-up, all the speculation, all the beef, Brooks vs. Bryson at Wynn Golf Club on Nov. 26, 2021, didn’t offer much drama. Koepka beat DeChambeau, 5 and 3, and you could argue the best part of the broadcast was actually the guys in the booth. Putting Charles Barkley and Phil Mickelson on the mic together was a layup.

Koepka birdied the par-3 6th hole from 10 feet, which helped raise 500,000 meals in his name as he won the closest-to-the-pin contest. DeChambeau missed his birdie, which was less than 15 feet from the hole, allowing the four-time Grand Slam champion to extend his lead. Koepka stepped on the putt to take a 3-point lead, then called out to his nemesis: “Any questions?”

THE back and forth banter I saved this one from the worst match rankings.

9. The match: Tiger vs. Phil

The original $9 million winner-take-all fight, held at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, was highly anticipated, but like many overhyped events, it fell flat.

Of course, the game went to a playoff which ended on an improvised 22nd hole won by MickelsonBut just because it was close doesn’t mean it was good. Technical problems disrupted the broadcast, forcing Turner and other providers to distribute refundsNot a good start.

The first nine games were bad, to say the least, but as the match progressed it became closer and more exciting. Like the play, the over-the-top banter left something to be desired. The most damning criticism of the first game? Rickie Fowler called it a “pillow fight.”

This article was originally published on Golfweek: The Match: A look back at the nine televised golf matches