TNTTurner Sports has found an entertaining formula for its made-for-TV golf events: Have two elite pro golfers team up with superstars from other sports, put microphones on them all, and let them play a round for charity and bragging rights.
Capital One’s The Match is back on TNT at picturesque The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana, on Tuesday, July 6, at 5pm ET. Coming off his incredible win at the PGA Championship, Phil Mickelson, winner of six major titles, returns for his fourth go-round in The Match. Joining Mickelson for the second time in The Match is seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They’ll play against the pairing of 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers and former Jeopardy! guest host. Both DeChambeau and Rodgers are making their first appearances in The Match.
Mickelson/Brady 🆚 DeChambeau/Rodgers
Capital One's The Match tees off tonight. ⬇️
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 6, 2021
There will again be trash talk aplenty, with all players wearing mics and communicating with each other and the broadcast team throughout the entire round. Throw in the side bets the players make with each other and the social media banter from other celebs, and viewers feel like they’re right there teeing it up beside some very famous buddies.
And it’s all for a good cause: Past events have raised tens of millions of dollars for COVID-19 relief, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, organizations promoting social justice and Feeding America.
The golf is pretty good, too. Brady added another scene to his lengthy highlight reel when he holed an approach shot from 100-plus yards away in the May 2020 event. He then split his pants and had to change clothes between holes, proving even the greatest athletes in history still have their human moments.
The Match Scorecard
Nov. 23, 2018: The Match: Phil Mickelson def. Tiger Woods
May 24, 2020: The Match: Champions for Charity: Woods and Peyton Manning def. Mickelson and Tom Brady
Nov. 27, 2020: The Match: Champions for Change: Mickelson and Charles Barkley def. Manning and Stephen Curry
