A pair of superstar pairings take center stage in The Match.
The Match has transformed from a pro-am golf exhibition to a showcase of stars in recent years, with a 2022 edition of The Match the first to feature all amateur golfers; Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers upended Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, proving that the old guys still got it.
This year, it's a cross-sport exhibition featuring two sets of high-profile teammates in their respective sports: Kansas City Chiefs greats Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce take on Golden State Warriors superstars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.
Kelce and Thompson are making their Match debuts, but Mahomes and Curry are familiar with the made-for-TV golf showdown. Both former league MVPs are making their second appearance in The Match, and both are looking for their first wins in the event.
MORE: Watch The Match live with Sling TV
Whoever loses, the viewers win. Here's everything you need to know about The Match VIII, coming your way his weekend:
Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce vs. Stephen Curry-Klay Thompson match date 2023
- Date: Thursday, June 29
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
The Match VIII is set to tee off on Thursday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m. ET in Las Vegas. Weather for the 3:30 p.m. local tee time is set to hover around 100 degrees.
How to watch The Match 2023
- TV channels: TNT, truTV, HLN
- Live stream: Sling TV
Fans will be able to catch The Match on TNT, with the event being simulcast on sister stations truTV and HLN.
For viewers who want to live stream The Match, Sling TV carries TNT, as well as truTV and HLN, so viewers can sign up for the streaming service to watch live.
Where is The Match in 2023?
- Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
- Venue: Wynn Golf Club
The Wynn Golf Club hosts The Match for a third time, which is more than any other Match venue. Wynn Golf Club was last used in 2022, when Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers beat out Mahomes and Josh Allen.
In 2021, Brooks Koepka defeated Bryson DeChambeau in the first appearance of The Match at Wynn Golf Club.
The Match format 2023
As with The Match in prior iterations, this year's event features 12 holes of scramble play. In this format, each player tees off and the team selects the best ball to play from on the next shot.
Each player alternates shots until the hole is finished. Whoever finishes with a low score on the hole wins. Should both teams record the same score, then the hole is halved. Whoever has most of the most holes won by the end of the tournament wins.
In addition to the format, Holes 4, 6, 8 and 12 will be special "challenge holes" — if a player nets a hole-in-one on any of those holes, then $2 million will be donated to charity in the team's name. Hole 12 carries a $5 million charity donation for an ace.
If no hole-in-one is made, then $250,000 is donated if a team gets within five feet of the hole. If those challenges aren't met, then $100,000 will be donated in the team's name for whichever team's shot gets closest to the green off the tee.
The Match purse, prize money in 2023
There isn't a traditional purse for The Match, but the players are all competing to raise money for charity. This year's charity is the No Kid Hungry campaign.
The Match has raised $35 million for charity since its first iteration, according to a press release.
The Match previous winners
There have been seven prior Match events, with six of them featuring pro golfers or a mix of pro-am pairings. The upcoming Match will be the second time that there will be no pro golfers in the matchup, the last being the Brady-Rodgers vs. Allen-Mahomes event just over a year ago.
Here's how the results have gone in years prior:
| Date | Event | Winner | Loser |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 23, 2018 | "The Match: Tiger vs. Phil" | Phil Mickelson | Tiger Woods |
| May 24, 2020 | "The Match: Champions for Charity" | Tiger Woods-Peyton Manning | Phil Mickelson-Tom Brady |
| Nov. 27, 2020 | "The Match: Champions for Change" | Phil Mickelson-Charles Barkley | Peyton Manning-Stephen Curry |
| July 6, 2021 | "The Match IV" | Bryson DeChambeau-Aaron Rodgers | Phil Mickelson-Tom Brady |
| Nov. 26, 2021 | "The Match: Bryson vs. Brooks" | Brooks Koepka | Bryson DeChambeau |
| June 1, 2022 | Brady/Rodgers vs. Allen/Mahomes | Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers | Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes |
| Dec. 10, 2022 | Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas | Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas | Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods |
Is Stephen Curry good at golf?
Curry is the best of the four players who will be on the course this weekend. The two-time NBA MVP has played golf since he was 10 years old and even competed in the Korn Ferry Tour.
Recently, reports indicated that Curry was playing a +0.1 handicap, but Curry clarified that he was up closer to around a +1.0 earlier in 2023.
"Currently it's +1, but the jury is out if I'm actually playing up to that," Curry said in January. "I had a really good summer though."
Steph Curry is the greatest 2 sport athlete of all time. pic.twitter.com/Rio67DE3TD
— ³⁰ (@StephMuse_) June 26, 2023
MORE: 2024 NBA Championship Odds: Can Chris Paul get the Warriors back into the NBA Finals?
Is Patrick Mahomes good at golf?
Mahomes had a handicap of 7.7 entering his Match showdown against Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in 2022, which will place him in a distant second behind Curry in the field. He does play, though he isn't quite as good at golf as he is at, say, football.
Mahomes has played in other golf pro-ams and various tournaments in years past, but never quite reached the level as his Match opponent Curry. He does have a liking for it, though, and he makes it a staple of his free time in the offseason.
"Golf has become a huge part of everything," Mahomes said in 2022. "When I plan trips, when I set up my offseason, I have to figure out places to play when I'm there."
Is Travis Kelce good at golf?
Travis Kelce is good at a lot of things: Talking trash, playing football, dancing and podcasting, among them. He has a bit of a ways to go in getting good on the links,
Kelce has played alongside Mahomes on the golf course in the past, but his golf handicap sits at an 11, well behind that of his quarterback.
Still, Kelce isn't letting his lack of golf prowess stop him from talking stuff just days before they tee off in Vegas.
"The message right now is we’ve never lost in Vegas," Kelce said recently regarding his "message" to the Splash Bros. "As a team we beat everybody at Justin Timberlake’s golf tournament (last year), and then obviously the Raiders. We haven’t lost to the Raiders yet.
"And I don’t even want to say yet, we’ve just never lost in Vegas, so that’s the bottom line."
MORE: Travis Kelce to Ja'Marr Chase: 'Don't ever disrespect Pat Mahomes'
Is Klay Thompson good at golf?
Thompson sports the worst handicap of any of the competitors on the course, reportedly a 15, though that number has supposedly picked up to around an 11.
Though Thompson and Curry spend a fair bit of time golfing together, it's unclear just how good Thompson is as an amateur golfer, though his handicap doesn't exactly paint a pretty picture.