Over the years, golf has been a popular second choice for many NBA stars. The legendary Michael Jordan never shied away from taking to the golf course. And following in his footsteps is,?Stephen Curry. Curry also loves golfing. The ‘Underrated Golf Tour’ organized by Curry has recently made headlines. Now, Curry’s Golden State Warriors teammate Klay Thompson joins him in his latest golf outing. And now, in an interesting turn of events, two NBA icons will battle NFL superstars Mahomes and Kelce in ‘The Match VIII.”
Hours from now, sporting enthusiasts can turn their TVs on and watch the 8th edition of The Match live on TNT. Apart from being a star-studded cross-sport event, The Match is also special because these sporting superstars take a swing for a good cause. Let’s see how much prize money will the Splash Brothers and the Super Bowl Champions amass for a charity.
Stephen Curry’s and Patrick Mahomes’ earlier outings in The Match
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The first edition of The Match was held in 2018. Then and in the editions that followed, The Match used to be a pro-am tour.
With each event, the Match became more star-studded, attracting many big names from the sporting world. Stephen Curry and Charles Barkley were the first from the NBA world to make it to the event.
In 2020, during the third edition of The Match titled Champions for Change, Barkley and golf icon Phil Mickelson partnered against Stephen Curry and NFL legend Peyton Manning. The Chuckster and Mickelson had the last laugh back then.
Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes had also partaken in the elite golfing event earlier. It was in 2022, during The Match XI that Mahomes debuted at the event. Then, it was an all-NFL matchup as Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers faced Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. Brady and Rodgers outsmarted Allen and Mahomes that day.
Coincidentally, both Curry and Mahomes never won a single tournament. This time, they will faceoff for their maiden win. Besides, this is the first time an all-NBA team is facing an all-NFL team. Unlike the seventh edition, which saw a battle of four golf veterans, the eighth edition will be a true cross-sport showdown.
The cross-sport golfing show in Vegas and its prize money
The much-awaited NBA-NFL golfing clash will start in moments at the WYNN golf club, in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the commentary team is as star-studded as it can be, as it features Draymond Green, Charles Barkley, and Ernie Johnson, among others. The GSW star pair will face the Kansas City Chiefs duo in a scramble format, which features 12 holes of scramble play.
As per the format, each player will tee off. But the team will select their best ball to play the next shot. This format goes on until each team putts the ball home. The team which finishes with the lowest score will win the hole.
The team winning the most holes will be declared the winner of the eighth edition.
According to a report on sportingnews.com, holes 4,6,8, and 12 will be special “challenge holes.” If any player hits the ball into any of these holes from the tee with a single shot, $2 million will be donated to this year’s charity, ‘No Kid Hungry campaign.
Hole 12 carries a prize of $5 million for the donation. In the event of a team not making a hole-in-one, and hitting the ball within five feet of the hole, $250,000 will be donated. If this challenge goes awry, $100,000 will be donated in the team’s name for whichever team’s shot gets closest to the green off the tee.
According to a Capital One Press release, The Match has so far raised $35 million for charities since its inception in 2018.
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The NBA-NFL faceoff before The Match
Turns out, Stephen Curry couldn’t wait till Thursday to lock horns with the Kansas City stars. In his most recent Instagram post, Curry could be seen scrolling through YouTube videos that feature Mahomes’ and Chiefs’ losses, including the 2021 Super Bowl loss. “Getting real inspired by what I see on the TV, Pat. It?s going to be the same thing in Vegas, baby,? Curry said in the video.
Meanwhile, according to a report on CNN, Klay Thompson is preparing himself for his The Match debut, by watching ace golfers’ video.
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Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are also confident of their abilities. As Kelce puts it, they have won in Vegas many times. Apparently, the Super Bowl champions believe they can hold their ground against the Splash Brothers. What do you think of The Match? How excited are you to tune in to TNT and watch the NBA-NFL clash? Let us know in the comments below.