Good golf, but grade-A banters. That has been the highlight of Capital One’s The Match. What started with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson reached its peak with Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. None of them will be here this time, but for the first time in history, two LPGA pros will tee up for the 12-hole charity event.
Rose Zhang & Lexi Thompson will join Golf Twitter’s favorite son, Max Homa, and four-time Major winner, Rory McIlroy this year. In case you missed it, Homa gave a glimpse of what’s to come at the Park at West Palm Beach for a few days. It’s mostly a roastfest for the pros, sprinkled with some fun duels. On that note, let’s go back in time to relish some of the finest moments from Capital One’s The Match.
1. Phil Mickelson went head-to-head with Tiger Woods
The first edition of the match showed what’s to come next. Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods locked horns for a battle that went to the fourth playoff hole. But more than the Match, which lacked spark from both, banter took center stage. Notably, Mickelson and Woods also had a running bet then that saw Lefty lose $200,000 on the opening hole. Eventually, he recovered after winning the next three holes to pocket $600,000.
The ninth edition of Captial One’s The Match will kickstart at 6.30 p.m. ET on TNT. For Rose Zhang, it will be a novel experience, whereas for Lexi Thompson, having played against men in the Shriners Children’s Open last October, this could be a redeeming moment. Notably, all the players will tee up from the same box. You can also stream the event on TNT, TruTV, and HLN!
2. Charles Barkley shuts down the ‘hecklers’ at The Match
Mickelson came to the winning circle after pairing up with Charles Barkley. Notably, Barkley was 57 at the time and had a handicap of 25. The veterans continued to dominate against Stephen Curry and Peyton Manning nonetheless.
The NBA-NFL duo fumbled after winning the first hole, going down four down by 10 holes. The on-course banter was accompanied by brutal jabs from Barkley’s NBA colleagues off the course. Nevertheless, the former NBA star had the last laugh. Barkley will return this year to the analyst-cum-trash-talkers’s seat.
3. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth’s ace trash-talking
Speaking of trash-talking, few are better than Tiger Woods in the game. But he was outclassed by his ‘younger brother’, Justin Thomas, and Jordan Spieth in 2022. The 15-time Major champion paired up with Rory McIlroy. Thomas and Spieth thumbed down the Pelican Golf Club, making seven birdies to clinch a 3&2 victory. “Second place isn’t bad, guys,” Thomas told Woods and McIlroy after the match.
Thomas, notably, had an on-and-off banter battle with Charles Barkley, who was analyzing the match. The former NBA star taunted the 15-time PGA Tour winner on his allegiance towards the University of Alabama (“Alabama University,” Barkley kept on mistaking the name deliberately to tease Thomas) College Golf.
4. Aaron Rodgers had all the fireworks on his The Match debut
Undoubtedly, Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers were the underdogs in the 2021 edition of the Match. It sounds blasphemous to call any of those two underdogs, but going up against 46-time PGA Tour winner Phil Mickelson and NFL legend Tom Brady, who reportedly is an 8-handicap, Rodgers and DeChambeau were undoubtedly on the back foot.
Yet, the Scientist and Rodgers beat the formidable duo 3&2 in the alternate shot format. Amid plenty of trash-talking, Rodgers kept his club steady and his mind sharp to nail the birdie putt on the 16th, earning bragging rights over Brady and Mickelson.
5. When Brooks Koepka trashed and thrashed Bryson DeChambeau
A niggling wrist injury couldn’t stop Brooks Koepka from a thumping victory at the Wynn Country Club. Koepka needed only nine holes to seal the 12-hole match’s fate. “Not going to lie, I just wanted to spank you,” Koepka told Bryson DeChambeau after the match.
The five-time Major winner birdied four holes to take the lead that the Scientist couldn’t overcome. In his defense, DeChambeau was out of the greens for two months after the Ryder Cup, buckling up for a long driving contest. The 2020 US Open winner finished seventh in the Long Drive contest.
