Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ eighth installment of Capital One’s The Match, the Sports Emmy-nominated premier live golf event series, will for the first time ever feature NFL and NBA superstar duos going head-to-head, as teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce face off against Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The 12-hole event, to be held Thursday, June 29 with coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET, will be simulcast on TNT, truTV & HLN in the U.S., as well as on discovery+ in Europe*.
The star-studded pairings include two sports icons making their second appearances in Capital One’s The Match. Mahomes and Curry have both won two Most Valuable Player Awards – in the NFL and NBA, respectively – while Mahomes has been named to five NFL Pro Bowls and Curry to nine NBA All-Star Games. Each will be looking to rebound from their debuts in the event. Last summer, Mahomes and then teammate Josh Allen fell to Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady on the final hole of Capital One’s The Match in Las Vegas, while in 2020 Curry and Peyton Manning lost 4 and 3 to Charles Barkley and Phil Mickelson in Arizona.
The competition will be conducted within a scramble format: Each player will tee off and each team will select their best ball from which to play their subsequent shot. This continues until the team holes out, and the lowest score will award that team the hole.
WBD Sports will deploy a number of technological innovations throughout its production that elevate the fan experience, including the Sports Emmy-nominated Cart Cam, drone cameras, and unprecedented access with participating players interacting with one another and the broadcast team via open mics throughout the course.
Commentator Team
Six-time Emmy Award winner Ernie Johnson will return to host his third Capital One’s The Match and will be joined by Inside the NBA colleague and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, making his seventh appearance in the event as a player or commentator. 2008 Masters Champion Trevor Immelman will make his sixth event appearance as analyst, and Kathryn Tappen will return as course reporter for the second time.
Four-time NBA Champion and Inside the NBA analyst Draymond Green and two-time Super Bowl champion and host of Bleacher Report’s The Voncast Von Miller will also be joining the team as special contributors, providing commentary while following the participants from a golf cart throughout the live competition, as well as additional content across Bleacher Report’s platforms.
Challenge Holes
Throughout the competition, the golfers will be generating additional charitable donations through a series of challenges, including:
- Hole 4 – DraftKings Sportsbook Closest to the Hole Challenge, for up to $2 million
- If a hole-in-one is made, $2 million will be donated on that team’s behalf
- If a shot is hit within five feet of the hole, $250,000 will be donated on that team’s behalf
- If no challenges are hit, $100,000 will be donated on behalf of the team whose shot on the green was closest to the hole off the tee
- Hole 6 – Wagoneer by Jeep Closest to the Hole Challenge, for up to $2 million
- If a hole-in-one is made, $2 million will be donated on that team’s behalf
- If a shot is hit within five feet of the hole, $250,000 will be donated on that team’s behalf
- If no challenges are hit, $100,000 will be donated on behalf of the team whose shot on the green was closest to the hole off the tee
- Hole 8 – Max Hole-in-One Challenge, for up to $2 million
- If a hole-in-one is made, $2 million will be donated on that team’s behalf
- Hole 12 – Microsoft Bing Closest to the Hole Challenge, for up to $5 million
- If a hole-in-one is made, $5 million will be donated on that team’s behalf
- If a shot is hit within five feet of the hole, $250,000 will be donated on that team’s behalf
- If no challenges are hit, $100,000 will be donated on behalf of the team whose shot on the green was closest to the hole off the tee
Hot Seat Press Conference presented by Capital One
Before they take to the course, Mahomes, Kelce, Curry and Thompson will be asked the questions every fan wants answered during Bleacher Report’s exclusive interactive live stream event – Hot Seat Press Conference presented by Capital One – to be held June 29 at 5:30 p.m. on the B/R app. Hosted by Draymond Green, the show will feature questions fielded from fans across B/R social channels and the B/R app.