The golf world hosts a match purely based on entertainment and charity. Did you know that? Well, not many were really aware until the 2024 edition was announced. How come this one became so well known? Well, because of the LIV Golf vs PGA Tour stance, which was not the case earlier. But it was still there!

The ‘Match’ was launched back in 2018, and that was so far the best edition with a total purse of a whopping $9 million. It is a match where celebrity players compete against each other for the fans. In 2018, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson had a face-off at the Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas. Lefty beat Mr. T and walked off with the money. However, before the December edition, there was one that just concluded a few hours ago on Friday.   

Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg, Charles Barkley, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Phelps, Nate Bargatze, Ken Griffey, Jr. & Blake Griffin, were some of the big names that were part of the field. And well as it turns out Wayne Gretzky took away the title this year. The official Instagram page of Fore Play Pod took to its wall and shared the update. In the caption, they wrote, “Best 14 handicaps in America. Wayne Gretzky has won The Match: Superstars. Were you a fan of the new no pro golfer, pre-recorded format?”

Well, it is true indeed. As it turns out, pretty much like the other nine editions, almost half of the golf community did not know it took place.

The golf community is clueless about Wayne Gretzky’s win at The Match

The 2024 edition of The Match, which included Wayne Gretzky as a participant, was announced on November 1, 2024, and held on November 21 and 22 at Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The relatively low awareness about the event could be attributed to its focus on celebrities rather than professional golfers, a format that has seen varied promotional efforts in past editions. Additionally, its announcement just a few weeks before the event may not have allowed much time for wider recognition among casual golf fans.

Taking to this, people curiously left comments like, “No clue it was happening lol” and “I did not know this happened”.

However, some of them had heard about the announcement earlier this month, but they did not know the exact date. Additionally, not much information about the streaming was released as well. Which led to even lower awareness. When the news was shared on Twitter, only 6.4% had watched. While 30.3% did not watch, a whopping 63.4% did not even know that it was on air. People left comments like, “This was on?!?!? All I saw was the announcement a few months ago.”

On the other hand, a lot of people criticized the format of the match. The event begins with two-man scramble matches till the quarterfinals. After the quarterfinals, the format shifts to individual match play for the semifinals and finals, where participants compete head-to-head. It is more of a recorded match rather than a live one in that sense. One of them mocked it, and even wrote, “No pro, pre-recorded format” been watching that stuff for years. Call it Youtube Golf”.

The 2018 event culminated dramatically with Mickelson emerging victorious on the fourth playoff hole under the floodlights. After a series of tied holes and missed opportunities from both players during regulation and the first three extra holes, Mickelson capitalized on Woods‘ miscues. The decisive moment came on a makeshift 93-yard par-3 hole, where Mickelson sunk a birdie putt to secure the victory. Taking to this, one of them commented, “Had no clue it was even happening. Not the same without Phil”.

What are your thoughts about The Match? Let us know in the comments section below!