What started as a showdown between two of golf’s legends transformed into a made-for-television pandemic programming event and has now, maintaining its celebrity flair, morphed into something else.
The eighth edition of “The Match” takes place Thursday at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas, and will feature a pair of the most popular championship duos going against each other: the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Normally, the event features a non-golfer with a professional. Last year’s version, also at the Wynn between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers facing Josh Allen and Mahomes, was the first one to feature all athletes from another sport. And this “Match” will be the first pitting teammates from two different sports against one another.
“If you really look at the culture of basketball and the culture of football, golf is becoming very popular,” Bryan Zuriff, the event’s producer, told USA TODAY Sports. “(Buffalo Bills quarterback) Josh Allen is showing up at big events right now. Patrick is obviously super-obsessed with it. Travis is a pop culture icon, he’s obsessed with it.”
Here is what to know for The Match VIII.
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The Match: How to watch, live stream
When: Thursday, June 29
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT
Looking at the calendar is key to being an alternative sports programming event, Zuriff said. Organizers knew their window had to be after the conclusion of the NBA Finals, given the participants, and Thursday marks two weeks out from what would have been potential Game 7.
“This is a great window for people on Thursday to start their summer off with some golf in a really fun way,” Zuriff said.
What time does The Match start?
The TNT broadcast is scheduled to start at 6:30 pm ET.
The Match is a 12-hole, scramble format. Temperatures will be near 100 degrees at the first tee. The event benefits the No Kid Hungry campaign.
Who is playing in The Match?
Just a pair of MVPs in their leagues and their steady sidekicks.
Team 1: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
Team 2: Steph Curry and Klay Thompson (Warriors)
Curry has played twice on the Korn Ferry Tour in the past. Last year, Mahomes slugged a Coors Light and called it “swing juice,” an example of the athletes pulling back the curtain during the program.
“They’re all passionate about golf and these guys want to win so badly at anything they do, that even though they’re having fun, they’re super competitive,” Zuriff said. “So I think it’s very relatable to the American public because it shows what it’s like when you do your foursome on a Saturday at your local club.
“It just shows you what the biggest (stars) in the world are like and what goes on in their head.”
In the past, Charles Barkley and Justin Thomas have served as on-course commentators. Eli Manning once rode around with the foursome while brother Peyton participated. Barkley will be back for The Match VIII broadcast, with a pair of newcomers.
Draymond Green, no stranger to his Warriors teammates and making a rather public appearance hours ahead of his impending free agency, and Von Miller will be on-course reporters.
“We’re a talk show,” Zuriff said. “You’re getting three hours to go inside the minds of – what makes golf so great for television like this, is that you have time for announcers to speak with our players.”
The Match is also a way for golf to demonstrate that the country club model has mostly been broken down, “turning golf into a lot more fun with a lot more energy,” said Zuriff.
“I think we try to show that,” he added.
How The Match influenced golf coverage everywhere
With The Match, Zuriff wanted to give fans a reason to tune in aside from the competitive aspect alone.
“We wanted to go inside the minds of people during competition,” Zuriff said.
The availability to speak with golfers during their round via earpieces was an innovation that has been incorporated into broadcasts on the PGA Tour, including The Masters.
“They totally took that from us. And I like that they took that from us. I’m proud of that. That shows you we try things,” Zuriff said.
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Match 2023: How to watch, stream Patrick Mahomes vs. Steph Curry