Jack Milko
A new format of ‘The Match’ is coming to prime-time television in mid-November.
Instead of PGA Tour or LIV Golf stars, eight celebrities will tee it up in the latest iteration of The Match—a two-night event on Thursday, Nov. 21, and Friday, Nov. 22, on TNT and HBO MAX. The competition will tee off with two matches of 2-v-2 scramble match play for the quarterfinals, with the following teams squaring off:
Bill Murray and Wayne Gretzky versus Charles Barkley and Ken Griffey Jr.
Mark Wahlberg and Michael Phelps versus Nate Bargatze and Blake Griffin.
The two winning teams will then advance to the semifinal round but with a twist.
In the semifinal round, teammates will split up and face off against each other. For instance, if Billy Murray and Wayne Gretzky win their quarterfinal matchup, they will face off in the semifinal round. Whoever wins that match will advance to the finals, which will also be a 1-on-1 matchup.
Whoever wins will take home $1 million in prize money.
The Match began in 2018, and the first iteration featured Tiger Woods taking on Phil Mickelson in Las Vegas.
Eight matches have followed in the six years since, and they have included numerous pro golfers and top athletes such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes. But during this same period, professional golf has changed substantially, with Mickelson helping create LIV Golf and Woods becoming a permanent fixture on the PGA Tour Policy Board.
Golf at the top of the sport remains divided, which explains why many are intrigued about next month’s ‘Showdown,’ which defers from ‘The Match’ series. Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will take on Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in a PGA Tour versus LIV Golf heavyweight bout. Like the original Match, the Showdown will take place in Las Vegas, too.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
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