On the flip side, McIlroy, unfortunately, will be most remembered this season for that heartbreaking loss. His reaction from the scorer’s area that day nearly topped our list of screenshots of the year as his winless drought in major championships reached a full decade and caused him to take a (brief) break from golf.

And if you think these guys have put that day in the past, well, think again. When we spoke to Bryson last week, he talked about the awkwardness of seeing Rory for the first time four months later. And ahead of this week’s The Showdown, in which Bryson and one-time rival Brooks Koepka will compete against Rory and Scottie Scheffler, things got even more uncomfortable. Check out this exchange from the driving range at Shadow Creek:

The trash talking already starting at Shadow Creek #LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/zB0bM3gWCn

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) December 16, 2024

Um, hello, Las Vegas PD? We’d like to report a murder.

“I’d like to go up against Bryson and try to get him back for what he did to me at the U.S. Open,” McIlroy says in the clip. To which DeChambeau responds, “Well, to be fair, you kind of did it to yourself,” referring to Rory bogeying three of the final five holes to squander a two-shot lead.

Damn, that’s cold. And it seemed like everyone, including Bryson’s new bud and LIV partner this week Brooks Koepka, got a big kick out of it.

“Um, I don’t really know where to go from there,” McIlroy says later in the clip.

This ain’t your grandpa’s “silly season”! Coverage of The Showdown on Dec. 17 will start at 6 p.m. ET on TNT Sports and MAX.

Main Image: Ross Kinnaird

The post Bryson DeChambeau daggers Rory McIlroy in brutal fashion ahead of The Showdown appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Dubbed The Match: Superstars, the latest installment of the TNT Sports series is set to air Nov. 21 and Nov. 22. The two-night primetime special will be simulcast on TNT and Max. (Disclaimer: Golf Digest, TNT and Max are all owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.)

Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg, Charles Barkley, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Phelps, Nate Bargatze, Ken Griffey Jr. and Blake Griffin will tee it up—and all be mic’d up—in the event taking place at Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach.

For Barkley, the NBA Hall-of-Famer, it will be the ninth time he’s participated in The Match as either a player or broadcaster. But it will be the first time with this format. The first night of the taped production will be two matches of two-man scramble that will serve as the event’s quarterfinals, while Night Two will feature individual matches for both the semifinals and final. The winner will walk away with $1 million.

Barkley and Griffey will take on Murray and Gretzky in one quarterfinal, while Wahlberg and Phelps will play Bargatze and Griffin in the other.

Ernie Johnson and Trevor Immelman will be back in the booth for the event with Kathryn Tappen as course reporter. Two-time Masters champ Bubba Watson will make his debut in The Match as an on-course correspondent.

The post The Match is returning to TNT Sports with more celebrity golfers than ever—and a hefty prize on the line appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

All it took after that, though, was one short wedge shot from Rory McIlroy, who locked up the skins game title by hitting one to two feet at The Park in West Palm’s par-5 18th. Below are our takeaways from a night where fun was had by (almost) all.

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The Park is awesome

Much smarter people than I have written about what makes this place so special, but once you get to see it in person it really hits home. It’s a literal playground for people of all ages. The putting course, which sits adjacent to the bar, is a spot I could see never leaving. But just a few yards away is a lit par-3 course AND a fully lit range. Then there’s the course itself, which has the same vibe and feel as every other Gil Hanse renovation has these days, and I mean that as a compliment. Big, wide, undulating fairways. Really cool greens with runoff areas that test every aspect of your short game. It even tested four of the world’s best in McIlroy, Homa, Zhang and Lexi Thompson, who didn’t have her best stuff but did manage to chip in for eagle at the drivable par-4 second. Awesome layout, awesome hang. I need to come back and actually experience it all rather than just tweet about it all.

Fun was had by (almost) all

During every one of these made-for-TV affairs, the usual suspects have to make it known that THEY AREN’T WATCHING. But because of the venue, more hardcore golf fans tuned in, and then they went after someone on the broadcast rather than the broadcast’s existence itself—DJ Khaled. “Who is he?” and “Why is he here?” they cried. To have fun. To make people smile. To bring in some eyeballs that would otherwise NEVER watch golf and are now tuned in on a freaking Monday night in primetime. It’s really not that deep, people. Add in Paul Bissonnette, AKA Biz, and you had a pair of electric personalities doing their best to bring some much-needed energy to the evening. As McIlroy said in the pre-Match press conference, these things are about experimenting and trying new things. Playing under the lights, having DJ Khaled and Biz team up in a cart, one-club challenges, etc. It’s not the Masters and nor does it have to be. And I promise you, this April, you will still have your Masters. On Monday night, Feb. 26, it’s OK to experiment.

Rory comes up clutch

Skins always turn into a math equation on the final hole, but no one needed a calculator to know that the final hole on Monday night was for everything. The carryovers meant McIlroy had to win or push, and when the push happened and they decided on a 100-yard wedge shot playoff, he was in danger of losing despite having a $600,000 lead over Lexi Thompson. Then he went first and stuffed one to two-and-a-half feet. Clutch. I speak for everyone when I say if Rory just pretends that the Masters is all for charity in a few weeks time, he might finally slip into a green jacket.

THIS RORY SHOT WAS UNBELIEVABLE #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/I0Sk23uInC

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 27, 2024

We almost lost Rose Zhang

I’ve written this exact sentence at least five to seven times before, but these events are quite hard to follow in person. Seemingly everyone inside the ropes has a cart but myself, and often times you feel in the way of the TV people trying to get from point A to point B. In fact, my left forearm took a fierce shot from somebody’s camera. Little did I know Zhang almost suffered a way worse fate:

I think TNT's commentary team has done a great job of letting the golfer's commentary have time while working around but the crew nearly ran into Rose with a cart pic.twitter.com/iVjvrftTVE

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) February 27, 2024

Chaotic scenes. That was way, way too close for comfort. Fortunately, she’ll be able to stay on this schedule now:

Rose Zhang has a LONG day ahead of her tomorrow #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/dW8M731Ne4

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 27, 2024

What an animal. And this is after we heard she arrived at the course at NOON to begin practising. For an exhibition match. In fairness, she said she hadn’t been on the course in a month and was clearly a little bit nervous. But the swing held up well. She is the leading mayoral candidate of TempoTown, USA.

More under the lights, more LPGA/PGA Tour crossovers

As McIlroy said, these matches are little “labs” to experiment with. Clearly, the under-the-lights experiment is working. The visuals are very tough to beat and this match in particular was so well lit you could follow the ball all the way through the night sky to the point it first landed. This time of year at night in Florida is also as peak weather as it gets. As for the competitors, the LPGA-PGA Tour crossover might need to be the move going forward. I’ve never been a hater of the NFL/NBA players, but the golf is not exactly quality. People want to see very good golf shots at very good courses, and this edition of The Match checked both those boxes.

Main image: Cliff Hawkins

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The post The Match 9 takeaways: Fun had by (almost) all, Rory comes up clutch and Rose almost gets taken out appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The next edition of The Match will not include a professional golfer but it will include four of the biggest names in professional sports.

Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will face Golden State Warriors teammates Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on June 23 at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.

All four men are current champions of their respective sports. The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl back in February, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35. Mahomes was named the Most Valuable Player.

The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals last year to capture the title. Curry was MVP. The Warriors are now in the Western Conference semi-finals against the Los Angeles Lakers and lost Game 1, 117-112, on Tuesday. Curry scored 27 points and Thompson scored 25.

This will be the eighth playing of The Match, the last one played in Florida in December under the lights when Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas topped Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. This also marks the second time that the four participants will be from outside the world of golf, and the second time that Mahomes and Curry are competing. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers beat Mahomes and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen last year at Wynn Golf Club. Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley beat Curry and Peyton Manning three years ago in Arizona.

The first iteration of The Match came back in 2018 when Phil Mickelson beat Woods in extra holes at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. Woods has participated in three of the seven, including in 2020 when he teamed with Manning to beat Mickelson and Brady at Medalist Golf Club in South Florida.

The post Next ‘Match’ set: Super Bowl champs Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce to face NBA’s Steph Curry, Klay Thompson appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

After making a few early birdies, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth arrived at the par 4 with a 2-up lead. On the fourth, players were allowed to select just one club to use for the entire hole and no two players could choose the same club. As intended, the challenge produced some of the craziest shots (and breaks) we’ve seen.

Spieth grabbed 4-iron, JT selected 5-wood, Rory McIlroy took 3-iron and Tiger Woods … well he initially declined to admit the club of choice (later admitting it was a 5-iron).

After the first three got off the tee, Woods proceeded to aim about 50 yards right of the fairway, slinging a massive hook back in play as if it was the obligatory trick shot at the end of a clinic.

McIlroy found a divot in the middle of the fairway off the tee and attempted a high fade with his 3-iron, which he caught heavy, finding the trees short and left of the green.

Friends helping friends @JustinThomas34 makes an impressive two-putt with a 5-wood with an assist from @JordanSpieth pic.twitter.com/aY7gON87al

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 11, 2022

The wackiness had only begun. Playing his approach from the fairway, Thomas air-mailed the green with his 5-wood and his ball was bounding towards a water hazard before catching the seat of a stray golf cart and promptly stopping — in what was perhaps the break of the year.

While Rory assessed his third from the pine straw short of the green — which he had to play with his 3 iron — analyst Trevor Immelman asked him if he had a shot. “I actually do,” McIlroy said, before remembering his required club and adding “If I didn’t have a 3-iron, I would.” Taking the straight-faced iron off the pine straw, McIlroy came up short of the green with his third.

Meanwhile, Thomas — fresh off his miracle break — enlisted Spieth and on-course reporter Kathryn Tappen to lift the wiring that was between him and the hole for his third shot. With nice touch with the 5-wood from about 10 yards off the green, Thomas ran it up the slope to about four feet for par.

With team Woods and McIlroy in for five, Thomas faced what would typically be a straightforward four-footer to take a commanding 3-up lead in the 12-hole match. Yielding 5-wood, Thomas stepped in, saying “I’m not gonna lie. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable over a putt in my life.” With the greens rolling 13 on the Stimpmeter, Thomas barely touched the putt and rolled it in to secure both the wackiest and greatest par in The Match history.

The hole was, in a word, chaotic, yet showcased the shot-making that makes these guys the best in the world. Safe to say, the one-club challenge will continue in future editions of The Match.

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The post This is both the wackiest and greatest par in the history of The Match appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Yes, we knew he had plantar fasciitis. We knew, in his words, that he “couldn’t walk”, hence his withdrawal from last week’s Hero World Challenge. But still, even with the aid of a golf cart at the seventh iteration of The Match, this did not look like a man who was in any physical shape to compete at a high level. His late arrival to the range and noticeable limp everywhere he walked screamed: “I’m still not quite ready for this.”

And yet, he tried anyway. He gutted it out. He grimaced and he grinded through it. That’s what he’s always done, and Saturday night was no different.

And then, he birdied the opening hole! Never mind that it was a 310-yard par 4 that all the guys nearly drove. He was one under through one. The fun didn’t last much longer, however, with Thomas and Spieth grabbing control at the second and never letting go, eventually closing out a hobbled Woods and a rusty Rory on the 10th hole of the scheduled 12-hole affair.

Here are some observations from The Match:

Tiger Woods has a way to go

I realise we sort of just covered this, but it was the biggest takeaway from Saturday night by far. He was nowhere near ready, but given the weight of this made-for-TV commitment, Woods sort of ‘had’ to be here. Obviously, the cart was likely the deciding factor in him actually giving it a go, just like it will be at next week’s PNC Championship (well, Charlie dying to play is a big factor, too). But, man, this is a dude in some serious, serious pain. It’s still thrilling to see him peg it in person or on the couch, but you have to wonder if it’s even worth it anymore. Yes, there were highlights like the birdie at one, some vintage iron shot-club twirl combos on the par 3s, and he even stepped on a driver on the long-drive hole, coming up just short of Thomas’ nuke. But Woods still couldn’t buy a putt (a common theme as he continues to age) and it all just looked like much more of a struggle than it should be. Given how he performed in the three events he actually played in this past year and given how he looks now, it’s hard to imagine Tiger completing a 72-hole tournament any time in the near or even semi-distant future. Knowing him, he’ll turn up at Augusta National and try to gut it out, but it’s going to become less and less fun watching him do so in so much pain when the reward might be a top-40 finish.

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were made for made-for-TV

Let’s be clear: These events will never provide the completely unfiltered, NSFW-material we all hope for, but with the right personalities they can still produce the goods. That’s what Thomas and Spieth brought to the table on Saturday night, in addition to playing some pretty good golf:

JT with the shrug after sinking this putt #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/BvCOTqL62a

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 11, 2022

These two seemed to embrace the fun element straight from the get-go. They both seemed to accept it for what it is — you and your close buddy trying to have as much fun as possible while also hitting some world-class golf shots and remaining as competitive as ever. Woods and McIlroy, meanwhile, appeared a little more stiff, literally and figuratively. This was never a fair fight, and Thomas and Spieth — fittingly both in LIV-style shorts while the other two wore pants — seemed to have entertained enough to be pencilled in for the next one of these.

These are “made-for-TV” in every sense of the phrase

Between the Las Vegas Match with the four NFL quarterbacks and this one, it’s abundantly clear that these made-for-TV events are … made-for-TV. Yes, it sounds very Captain Obvious-y, but these events are borderline impossible to follow in person, and there were a lot of people at this one trying to follow it. With only four players zooming from shot to shot in their carts, non-stop commercials halting the actually crisp pace of play, and the way they set up the course like a maze to get the best 12 holes on television, it’s not the best on-site experience (it took me until Thomas was putting with his 5-wood to realise that was the one-club challenge hole). But it’s not supposed to be — hence, the made-for-TV label.

Not Rory’s best showing

After the season he had, there’s no sense in calling him out for meh play in an exhibition match. But yeah, it almost felt like he wasn’t even there at times. Tiger is Tiger, so he’ll always command 95 per cent of the attention, but it felt like the other five per cent almost belonged exclusively to JT and Spieth. Again, it was tough to follow in person, but it sure seemed like McIlroy didn’t say, or do, much that caught anyone’s eye. That tends to happen when you go 3-down through four, though.

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By Christopher Powers
Despite his latest health-related setback, Tiger Woods will play golf this Saturday. We repeat: Tiger Woods will play golf this Saturday.

And while it’s not in a real-deal, 72-hole tournament, it will be Woods like you’ve never seen him before—under the lights, in primetime, alongside teammate Rory McIlroy and the opposing two-man squad of Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. It will be the seventh iteration of Capital One’s The Match, a series of made-for-TV match-play events that has previously featured Woods facing off with longtime rival Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka going head-to-head amid their “beef,” and, in the most recent edition, NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers teaming up to defeat Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Match.

The teams

The two-man teams for The Match are World No. 1 McIlroy and 15-time major champion Woods versus reigning PGA champion Thomas and three-time major winner Spieth.

The format

The format is best ball, meaning each player on each team plays his own ball throughout the round and lowest score of the two players counts as the team score on each hole. For example, if Woods makes a 4 and McIlroy a 3, McIlroy’s 3 is their score for the hole. The team with the lowest score on a hole wins that hole. It is only a 12-hole match, which means if one team takes a 3-up lead after 10 holes, the match is over.

How to watch

Coverage will begin live on TNT at 6 p.m. ET, on Saturday. Simulcasts also will be available on TBS, TruTV and HLN, in addition to expansive content available across Bleacher Report’s platforms leading up to and during the competition. Programming will begin with “The Conversation presented by Deloitte,” a roundtable discussion with Woods, McIlroy, Thomas and Spieth hosted by Brian Anderson, who will be calling all the action along with NBA legend Charles Barkley, former Masters winner Trevor Immelman and sports reporter Kathryn Tappen. Preview coverage for The Match will begin immediately after the roundtable discussion at 6:30 p.m. ET.

For fans looking to check in even earlier, the “Hot Seat Press Conference” will be available at 5:30 p.m. ET on the Bleacher Report app. It will be hosted by former tour pro Smylie Kaufman feature questions field from fans across Bleacher Report’s social channels and the B/R app.

The location

The Match is being held at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., which has hosted the LPGA’s Pelican Women’s Championship for the past three years. Sei Young Kim won the inaugural edition of the event in 2020, while Nelly Korda has won the tournament in each of the last two seasons, including this past November’s edition, which was shortened to 54 holes due to Tropical Storm Nicole.

The course was originally designed by Donald Ross in 1925 and recently restored in 2019 by Beau Welling and his team to reflect Ross’ original vision. Like many Ross courses, Pelican is quite forgiving off the tee but is defended by the small, undulating greens.

The charity

All four golfers will make a series of donations via special challenges to Hurricane Ian relief efforts after the devastating effects of the late-September storm on the Gulf Coast and its surrounding communities.

The challenges

There will be five special challenges that will generate donations from the players. On the third hole will be a closest-to-the-hole competition sponsored by DraftKings Sportsbook for up to $1.1 million. At the ninth hole there will be another closest-to-the-hole challenge sponsored by UnitedHealthcare for up to $1.1 million. There also will be a one-club challenge (every player can only use one club on the entire hole) at the fourth, which is sponsored by Capital One, for up to $750,000. Finally, there will be two hole-in-one challenges at the fifth and eighth holes, one sponsored by USAA Insurance and one by Tito’s Handmade Vodka. If an ace is made on either hole, $2.5 million will be donated on the team’s behalf, and if no hole-in-one is made, $250,000 will be donated on behalf of the team that wins the hole.

The weather

The forecast for Saturday evening calls for temperatures in the low-to-mid 60s with clear skies early and the possibility of a few clouds later on. Winds will be light and there is a less than 10 per cent chance of precipitation.

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The post Everything you need to know about The Match under the lights at Pelican Golf Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The four superstars committed to the exhibition series, which will be held for the seventh time and second in 2022 after a duel between NFL quarterbacks was contested in June. It will be broadcast on TNT and is scheduled to start at 6pm under the lights, with the match going 12 holes. The format has not been announced, but it is widely expected to be better-ball match play. Proceeds will support Hurricane Ian relief efforts.

This will be Woods’ third appearance in ‘The Match’, participating in the inaugural event against Phil Mickelson in November of 2018 and returning in 2020 to team up with Peyton Manning to take down Mickelson and Tom Brady in a charity challenge in the nascent days of the pandemic. This will be the first appearances for McIlroy, Spieth and Thomas, although Thomas did work at the aforementioned 2020 charity match as a commentator. Woods, McIlroy and Thomas were a part of a similar exhibition in September 2020 to show off Payne’s Valley Golf Club, the first public-access golf course designed by Woods’ TGR Design firm, as well as raise money for the Payne Family Foundation.

Woods made three official starts in 2022 in his return from a February 2021 car crash, making the cut at both the Masters and PGA Championship while possibly saying goodbye to the Old Course at the Open Championship. McIlroy won three times last season, highlighted by capturing the FedEx Cup, with Thomas grabbing the PGA Championship for the second time in his career with a playoff triumph at Southern Hills. Spieth won the RBC Heritage and is coming off a 5-0-0 record in an American victory at the Presidents Cup.

Woods and McIlroy recently partnered for a new venture called TGL and are launching a tech-infused team golf league in partnership with the PGA Tour, but that endeavor is not believed to have any relation with the exhibition.

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But each of the previous made-for-TV events all lacked a little something all the best sporting events have: juice. Juice is unquantifiable. It doesn’t spit out in a statistical model. It’s just one of those things you know exists when you actually feel it.

Make no mistake, the sixth edition of The Match, this one featuring Brady and Rodgers again (on the same team, this time) against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, had plenty of juice. This was glaringly evident when, after missing a rather lengthy putt that Brady knew he needed to halve a hole, he let out a gutteral “OH NO” that you would expect to only hear after a backbreaking pick six on a sultry Monday night in Miami. It was equally evident when his teammate walked in the winning birdie putt on the 12th hole and celebrated like he just clinched his billionth NFC North division title.

It also helped, immensely, that there were real, live, actual fans at the Wynn Golf Club, a feature the prior five matches did not have due to either limited, VIP-type invitations and/or COVID restrictions. The Match VI faced neither of those challenges, and it made for an unforgettable atmosphere in Las Vegas.

Here are six takeaways from by far the best The Match.

Patrick Mahomes was stunningly good

Keep in mind when we say “stunningly,” what we mean is we thought Mahomes would definitely be the worst of the four, and possibly downright bad. Yes, he’s an athletic freak of nature who has had some solid swing videos make the social-media rounds before, and he had teed it up in Tahoe last year, but this was going to be an entirely different arena. The shamble format alleviates some of the pressure, but once you select the better of the tee shots it’s on you from there. There’s no hiding, and you better be good throughout your bag, especially considering he wasn’t getting any shots.

Mahomes was plenty good throughout his bag, displaying the ability to mash the driver, showing off some deft touch around the greens and making multiple clutch putts that kept he and Josh Allen in it. It quickly became clear we’d all underestimated Mahomes’ recent work with former PGA Tour player Hank Kuehne and his brother Trip down in Texas. During a Zoom call with a number of media members last week, Mahomes credited the Kuehne brothers with helping him rein in the big stick and with helping him dial it in on the greens. Whatever he’s paying them (we have no idea if he’s paying them) it ain’t enough. That man CARRIED Allen around the golf course on Wednesday, when the prevailing thought was that the exact opposite would occur.

Mahomes had to take a lap after this chip shot #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/AGwwKQOtDY

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2022

The fans added an entirely new element

This was mentioned in the opening but bears repeating: each of the first five matches were seriously underwhelming in the buzz department, mostly a product of COVID. That was not the case for Brady/Rodgers vs Mahomes/Allen, who obviously brought out the exact type of fan needed to give these events some much-needed pop: NFL fans.

Right from the moment all four gunslingers arrived at the makeshift range at the Wynn, you could feel this was going to be different. Bills Mafia was out in full force (those people travel well), and they serenaded Brady with a “Let’s go Buffalo!” song (to the tune of ‘Shout’) while he made his way to the practice area. Everywhere you looked someone had on one of the four QB’s jerseys. And because this was golf and not an NFL stadium, fans could get extremely close to their heroes, and many times the fan reaction to being that close was what I’d imagine the reaction was to Elvis Presley simply existing back in his day. These four dudes are absolute rockstars and are treated as such, though they received their fair share of trash talk as well. The type of trash talk that most PGA Tour pros would hear and promptly call security to have the culprits removed from the premises. Brady? He’s heard much worse over the last two decades as king. Rodgers? He welcomed that type of vitriol in Chicago last season by screaming “I OWN YOU” to Bears fans after a touchdown scamper. Allen and Mahomes are probably still getting used to it, but they handled it just fine. It was a mini-NFL environment in a golf setting, and it was electric.

Tom Brady is the ultimate salesman

No athlete has ever reminded me as much of Phil Mickelson as TB12 did on Wednesday. Constantly smiling and thumbs-upping people to death. “Thanks for coming out,” to everyone that screamed his name. Just the word “BRADY” on his golf shirt. TB12 logo in plain sight at all times, be it on his gigantic Yeti water bottle or the front of his hat, which he wore backwards for about three holes up until the final hole when it turned it back forward knowing there would be maximum eyeballs on the tense par-3 tee that decided the match. It makes sense given his entire social-media presence revolves around selling product, but it’s still so wild to see in person. It’s hard to tell if he’s a real human at times, but he reminds you that he very much is when he’s hitting bad golf shots. Brady hates nothing more than hitting bad golf shots, because hitting bad golf shots means you are losing, and losing is not something Brady does all that often and when he does he does not handle it well. It’s at his lowest points when he’s the most relatable, and those points usually only come when he’s holding a golf club in his hands.

"Some tip you gave me."

Brady had to call out the crew this shot #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/w4hf5nBshn

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2022

People are not afraid to get hit by a golf ball, apparently

Nowhere was the phrase “common sense is not common” more apparent than at the Wynn Golf Club on Wednesday evening. Because people with common sense would understand that these professional quarterbacks are not professional golfers, meaning you are in the line of fire basically anywhere that isn’t behind them when they are addressing a golf ball. All four guys can move it well on their best swings, but their bad swings are just like the rest of ours, which leads us to the question: Would you stand two yards off the fairway just 20 yards ahead if you or your buddy were on the tee box? The answer (I hope) is no. Brady knows this, and he implored the fans to spread out on the second tee, telling them “guys, that’s really dangerous” multiple times, to no avail. Then, he promptly line-drived one down the left side that could have killed someone but fortunately did not. Turns out, that was one of the few tee shots that didn’t hit someone. It was an absolute shooting gallery, though most folks didn’t care. In fact, I actually heard multiple people wish they were the ones who got struck by the Aaron Rodgers block fade. With the right mix of Vegas sun and refreshments, it’s probably a pain-free experience anyway.

That Aaron Rodgers is quite clutch after all

The haters will tell you Rodgers has shrunk in many a big moment since his lone Super Bowl victory, but there was no such shrinking on the golf course. The now four-time MVP was the sneaky MVP on Wednesday, making a birdie on the first to go 1 up and picking up an insanely clutch birdie at the ninth that was just to halve the hole. And finally, with the match on the line, draining a birdie to avoid a closest to the pin playoff and walking it in in style:

A-Rod for the WIN! #CapitalOnesTheMatch pic.twitter.com/et3paek5DB

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2022

It’s not fair to say he dragged Brady to victory, because Brady did make a huge birdie late in the match that tied it back up, but Rodgers was the steadying force the entire day. He pounds the ball with his driver and consistently strikes his irons well, while Brady has trouble avoiding some big misses and the odd shank or chunk. Rodgers does nothing of that sort, and he expects to make the shot or the putt, just like he expects to fit the ball into that tight window that only he can fit it into. As a result, he’s 2-0 in these matches and has seemingly played a massive role in both victories. He likes to play down just how good he is, which is clearly by design.

The Match was really fun and there should (will) be more just like it

At the risk of repeating everything I’ve already written, I’ll just keep it simple: this match, the one without any PGA Tour professionals, was by far the most fun one yet. It still has some work to do in the format/organisation department, but that matters little when you get the right mix of personalities like this one had and the addition of some rabid fans who would have no idea how to act at an actual professional golf event but can get away with acting like that in this setting. Vegas seems to be the ideal location for these, as fans will have no issue making a trip out of it to see their guys up close and personal, not to mention the fact that Vegas is pretty good at hosting this type of stuff. The hard golf fan may continue to resist, but maybe these just aren’t for the hard golf fan. Judging by the social-media reaction, this one attracted the exact crowd that golf doesn’t have and so desperately needs, so there’s no other way to view it than as a positive.

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The post Mahomes shines, Rodgers comes up clutch (again) and four other takeaways from best ‘The Match’ yet appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Tom Brady is no stranger to having his every move dissected on the internet. Whether it be a 3rd-and-4 incompletion, or a video of him stumbling around while celebrating another Super Bowl, he understands people are going to break it down frame-by-frame.

So it came as no surprise when a video of Brady making a “hole-in-one” began making the rounds, social media pounced on it. “Fake!” they cried. “This looks edited to me,” they yelled. “Just retire already!!!” they screamed (that last one might be made up, although we’re all thinking it).

Upon first viewing, it does seem like the criticisms have merit, however:

This is why you film every shot on the course…

: @ari_fararooy + @ShadowLion pic.twitter.com/h9QrbLKOmu

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 25, 2022

The first thing to note is that the reaction seems very genuine, which means A: He did hole this shot out, which wouldn’t be out of the question considering he’s done something similar on live TV before, or B: He and everyone in the video are really good actors, which is also not out of the question given TB12’s blossoming social media presence.

The second thing to note is that Brady does not refer to this as a hole-in-one, as many others did online. During a Zoom call for The Match, Brady also confirmed that this was no ace.

“It’s not a hole-in-one, because it wasn’t really a par 3,” Brady said. “We were in the middle of the fairway on a par 4, and I would have had to play the whole round for it to be a real hole-in-one. It was a once-in-a-lifetime shot, that’s for sure, but it wasn’t a hole-in-one unfortunately. I can’t claim that.”

Honest man, though he did not confirm nor deny if the video is real in anyway at all. Based off the 26-27-second mark of the video, it sure seems deceptively edited, which seems to be the case with many of Brady’s made-for-Instagram clips. Like this one, for example:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady)

Or this one, which he posted ahead of the last iteration of The Match he was a part of:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady)

What we do know for sure is that Brady has an excellent team of social media people that knows how to rack up the views, although it’s pretty easy to rack up views when you’re Tom Brady. It doesn’t help the “this is a real video” case when he’s hawking merch underneath the video, which just so happened to have over 1.5 million views:

Shop the outfit now! https://t.co/Bx0UnTMRJr pic.twitter.com/FLwfnGyMRQ

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 25, 2022

Cha ching. Not even trying to hide it. You almost have to respect it. Good news for the haters is that next Wednesday, when the lights go on and Brady and Aaron Rodgers take on Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, there will be no deceptive editing of any sort to hide behind. Knowing Brady, he’ll show up and show out, and everyone on the internet will have their eye on his every move, as always.

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The post WATCH: No way! Tom Brady did not make a hole-in-one in that viral video (which may or may not be real) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.