Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers defeated Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady 3 and 2 in “The Match” on TNT on Tuesday.
The four played in the charity event at picturesque The Reserve Golf Course at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana.
It was the fourth version of “The Match,” a series that began with Tiger Woods and Mickelson playing winner-take-all against each other. It eventually expanded with Brady, Steph Curry, Charles Barkley and Peyton Manning.
In this version, the golfers played a modified alternate shot format. DeChambeau chipped in on the first hole for birdie to win it, but Brady and Mickelson came back to go 1 up until the seventh hole when the match was squared.
The groups traded shots on the course, with DeChambeau hitting a fairway wood on the 392-yard par-4 third hole to about six feet from the pin. That was followed by Brady hitting a driver right next to DeChambeau’s shot.
Because the golf course is situated at an elevation of 7,500 feet, the ball was flying throughout the match. One example: DeChambeau hit an 8-iron on the 248-yard par-3 fifth to 2 feet, 7 inches from the cup.
Rodgers played amid an ongoing rift with the Green Bay Packers and questions about his future with the franchise. The commentators asked him if he would be the quarterback of the Packers when the season starts, and he said he didn’t know. They prodded again, but Rodgers sidestepped the question, saying, “I’m just having a good time out here with Tom. I’m trying to talk to him about if he’s going to keep playing or not.”
Barkley commentated throughout the broadcast and took part in plenty of trash talking. He poked fun at Brady’s age (43) and even took a shot at Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who joined the broadcast via video. Mayfield was wearing a silk shirt, and Barkley asked him twice if he was wearing a robe.
The players exchanged barbs themselves throughout the match, from Rodgers poking fun at Mickelson’s belt buckle to Mickelson telling Brady they had a fourth-and-3 situation, down eight points, on the 16th hole and that they needed to go for it and couldn’t play it safe. Mickelson was referencing the playoff game between the Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during which Rodgers and the Packers went for a field goal instead of a touchdown.
Unfortunately for Mickelson, his team missed its ensuing putt, and Rodgers drained his birdie putt to seal things.
The match was fun and games, but it also was meant to help raise money for the involved charities. At its conclusion, the donations and contributions will provide 6,300,000 meals for Feeding America and $2.6 million to My Brother’s Keeper.
