The Match: A list of the previous golf competitions: Participants, courses and dates

These matches are usually held as standalone events and are not part of any official golf tour or tournament. “The Match” gained popularity due to high-profile matchups and the unique format.

Jack Whigham, a Hollywood agent, and Bryan Zuriff, a film and TV producer, conceived the event. Zuriff was a fan of The Skins Game—a one-time PGA Tour unofficial event that was held around Thanksgiving weekend—and envisioned a concept for a golf event that would, as explained by Whigham, be “played the way a lot of us play with our buddies on the weekends? You know, where you bet on everything and talk smack and have this continually running dialogue of giving each other” grief.

Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson

The inaugural edition of “The Match” occurred on November 23, 2018, between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The match was held at the Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a one-on-one matchplay format with a winner-takes-all prize of $9 million. The event was broadcast on pay-per-view and included various side bets and challenges to add to the excitement.

Champions for Charity

On May 24, 2020, the Medalist Golf Club hosted The Match: Champions for Charity in Hobe Sound, Florida. The event featured a pro-am four-ball format where each golfer played with a National Football League quarterback as their partner. Tiger Woods teamed up with two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning, while Phil Mickelson paired with six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady. Despite a late comeback attempt from Mickelson and Brady, Woods, and Manning secured a victory by a single hole. The match was broadcasted live on TNT, TBS, HLN, and truTV, attracting an average of 2.8 million viewers. Brian Anderson hosted the event, with Trevor Immelman and Charles Barkley serving as analysts and Justin Thomas and Amanda Balionis as on-course reporters.

Champions for Change

On November 27, 2020, The Match: Champions For Change, the third edition of the event, was held at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Oro Valley, Arizona. The game used the American foursome format and aimed to raise funds for historically black colleges and universities. Mickelson teamed up with NBA hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley, who played from a forward set of tees, to defeat Manning and NBA star Stephen Curry, 4 and 3. The match was aired live on TNT and attracted an average of 1.0 million viewers. Anderson and Immelman returned as host and analyst, respectively, while NBA star Andre Iguodala joined as an analyst.

The Match IV

On July 6, 2021, a fourth edition of The Match was held. Mickelson and Brady competed against Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana. Greensomes replaced the American foursomes format used in the previous edition. DeChambeau and Rodgers secured a victory of 3 and 2 in the match. The event’s live broadcast was shown on TNT, TBS, and truTV. Hosts and analysts, Anderson, Barkley, and Immelman returned along with NFL star Larry Fitzgerald, who debuted as an analyst.

Bryson vs. Brooks

On November 26, 2021, a fifth edition of a golf match between DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka occurred at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. The game resulted from an ongoing “feud” between the two players. It followed the original format of Tiger vs. Phil, with the match’s length reduced to 12 holes.

The Match VI

On April 18, 2022, the sixth edition of The Match was announced on June 1, featuring a lineup of American football quarterbacks: Brady and Rodgers teaming up against Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. The match followed a shamble format, and in the end, Brady and Rodgers emerged victorious by one hole. The game was exciting, with the final putt by Rodgers securing the win, while Allen missed a long birdie putt that could have sent the match into a playoff. The commentators for the competition were Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley.

The Match VII

On December 10, 2022, golf enthusiasts tuned in to watch The Match’s seventh edition at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. Although Tiger Woods was the only returning pro, he partnered with Rory McIlroy to compete against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in an intense four-ball event. Despite Woods’ first televised appearance since his 2021 car crash, while still recovering from injuries, Spieth and Thomas emerged victorious with a 3 and 2 win over Woods and McIlroy in the 12-hole event.

The Match VIII - NFL vs. NBA

The upcoming eighth edition of The Match is set to take place on June 29, 2023, at the Wynn Golf Club. This highly popular event will showcase two accomplished duos from different leagues: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce from the Kansas City Chiefs, who will go head-to-head with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, famously known as the Splash Brothers, from the Golden State Warriors.