The next edition of ‘The Match’ is shaping up to be a good one between the stars of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
On Thursday, June 29, the team of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson (Warriors) will take on Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce (Chiefs) live from the Wynn in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the last The Match showdown, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth beat Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. It was not a competitive matchup, as Thomas and Spieth pulled away for an easy win under the lights at Pelican Golf Club1.
The Match 2023 is the eighth edition of the friendly exhibition golf event. After pro golfers participated in the last contest, we are going back to athletes from other sports. In 2021, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers defeated Mahomes and Josh Allen2.
The Match 8 includes 12 holes of golf at the Wynn Golf Club. The best score from each team will go on the scoreboard. In other words, one player can play poorly, but still win the hole because of their teammate.
Let’s break down all of the details and handicap the 2023 The Match odds from the top sports betting sites. Currently, Curry and Thompson are sizable favorites (-280) over their opponents, Mahomes and Kelce (+185).
When Is The Match Golf Event?
The Match 8 is scheduled for June 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 12-hole match is slated to begin at 3:30 PST in Las Vegas. East coast viewers can tune into The Match at 6:30 p.m. EST.
The big showdown between the NFL and NBA stars is being broadcasted exclusively on TNT3.
Looking for the perfect Father’s Day gift? Make sure your No. 1 guy is there in person to see “@CapitalOne‘s The Match” as the @Chiefs‘ @PatrickMahomes and @TKelce go club-to-club against the @Warriors‘ @StephenCurry30 and @KlayThompson on June 29 at Wynn Golf Club. ⛳️
Tickets… pic.twitter.com/TrutI1C6Xc
— Wynn Las Vegas (@WynnLasVegas) June 18, 2023
Curry and Thompson’s teammate, Draymond Green, is expected to be part of the broadcast team alongside Charles Barkley, Trevor Immelman, Ernie Johnson, Kathryn Tappen, and Von Miller.
This is the second time that Mahomes and Curry have participated in The Match. In 2020, Curry teamed up with Peyton Manning to compete against Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley. Mickelson carried the load to defeat Curry and Manning4.
In 2022, Mahomes and fellow NFL quarterback, Josh Allen, combined to play against Brady and Rodgers. It didn’t go well for Mahomes, as Brady and Rodgers powered their way to a win last June5.
The Match Golf Course
The Match 8 is set for a 12-hole showdown at the Wynn Golf Club on the Las Vegas Strip. After the golf course was closed in 2017 to make way for a white sand beach-themed area with a lagoon, the fairways and greens were ripped apart.
However, plans for the beach and water attraction, dubbed Wynn’s Paradise Park, were rescinded following Steve Wynn’s resignation amid criminal allegations6. The luxury resort in Las Vegas opted to revert back to having a golf course on the space next to the hotel and casino.
Anyone watch The Match today? Pretty dominating win by Koepka without much suspense.
But it was fun to see the Wynn Golf Club on TV. Like the nearby casinos and the High Roller Ferris Wheel visible from the course, this 2005 Tom Fazio design absolutely screams Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/xD9wcyO9uS
— LinksGems Golf Photos (@LinksGems) November 27, 2021
In 2019, Wynn Golf Club reopened following redevelopment and a redesign. According to the Wynn Las Vegas, the golf course is a 6,722-yard, par-70 championship course across 400,000 cubic yards.
Architect Tom Fazio designed the original Wynn Golf Club course in 2005. He partnered with his son, Logan, to tweak the layout to its current form7. It is a beautiful landscape only steps away from the casino. For The Match 8, only 12 of the 18 holes will be played on June 29.
2023 The Match Golf Odds
The following golf The Match odds are courtesy of BetUS:
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes/Travis Kelce | +185 |
| Stephen Curry/Klay Thompson | -280 |
Curry and Thompson are heavy favorites to win The Match 8 at the Wynn Golf Club. Currently, Curry and Thompson have -280 odds to defeat Mahomes and Kelce at BetUS.
If you want to bet on the underdogs, you can get +185 odds for Mahomes and Kelce at the best golf betting sites. That isn’t a bad price on the reigning Super Bowl champions. However, do you have confidence in Mahomes and Kelce to pull it off?
Analysis of The Match Golf Odds
Why are Curry and Thompson so heavily favored?
While Thompson isn’t a bad golfer, it isn’t because of him. Curry should be the star of The Match 8 at Wynn Golf Club.
For his day job, Curry is a professional basketball player. However, if he wasn’t, he’d probably be involved in golf. There have been several instances of Curry’s love for golf on display.
In 2019, thanks to a donation by Curry to the Howard University, the school was able to bring back the golf program8. This is not the only example of Curry’s generosity to help young golfers.
Last year, Curry launched an all-expenses paid golf Tour for underrepresented players. In collaboration with the American Junior Golf Association, the Tour will be free of charge to young players, including the cost of travel, hotels, and food9.
Welcome to the @UnderratedGolf Tour ⛳️
Expanding on @underrated with @StephenCurry30, the top 24 boys and girls from across the country will be competing for the Curry Cup, spanning across multiple @PGATOUR venues with the championship being held at TPC Harding Park in the Bay. pic.twitter.com/fH6KKU8571
— Underrated Golf Tour (@UnderratedGolf) April 21, 2022
In February, it was disclosed that Curry will be named the 2023 Ambassador of Golf. The honor recognizes somebody who exemplifies the ideals of the game and contributes to golf beyond the golf course10.
Curry’s love of golf has also resulted in him appearing in some notable tournaments. In addition to the pro-am and celebrity events, Curry has participated in PGA Tour-sanctioned tournaments.
Curry has entered Korn Ferry events twice in his career. The Korn Ferry is the development Tour for the PGA Tour. In 2017, Curry shot a 74 and 74 in the first two rounds of the Ellie Mae Classic. He missed the cut, but it was a respectable showing for a non-pro.
WOW!@StephenCurry30 is used to hitting shots from downtown, but this one was from 97 yards out! @ACChampionship pic.twitter.com/bCpAajysrs
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 8, 2022
A year later, Curry returned to the same tournament. Curry shot a career-low 71 in the first round, but fell out of touch in the second round with an 8611. More recently, Curry entered the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament last summer.
The event included several top names in sports and entertainment, including Curry and Mahomes. Curry finished a solid T16, while Mahomes was well behind in T5112.
The two-time NBA MVP and four-time champion reportedly has a respectable handicap of 1.313. Conversely, Golf.com reports Mahomes’ handicap at roughly 7. Kelce’s handicap pushes close to 1114.
There isn’t much sense in comparing Kelce vs Thompson. As a consequence of the The Match golf rules, this exhibition event is a battle between Curry and Mahomes. Kelce and Thompson are just along the ride and experience in Las Vegas.
2023 The Match Prediction
In the same year that Curry was awarded the Ambassador of Golf award, expect him to want to add The Match title to his long list of accomplishments. The Match might be an exhibition, but Curry is too competitive to look at this as a meaningless match.
The competitive juices should certainly be flowing with Mahomes on the opposite side. Mahomes is unlikely to take the tournament too lightly, either. He doesn’t want another loss on his resume for The Match. However, it will be tough to keep up with Curry at Wynn Golf Club.
Kelce will have to save Mahomes in a hole or two. That does not seem plausible against Curry, though. Do not expect the Curry/Thompson team to pull away and win in a blowout. Mahomes should beat Curry on a few holes.
With odds of +185, it might be tempting to include Mahomes/Kelce on your golf betting strategy for The Match. That being said, look for Curry to be the biggest standout at the Wynn on June 29. He and Thompson are favored for good reason on the golf course.
Expect Curry/Thompson to have the upper hand and win one for the Warriors over the Chiefs in Las Vegas.
Sources
The Match 2022 – Spieth, Thomas take down Woods, McIlroy | ESPN. Retrieved From “https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/35213751/the-match-2022-woods-mcilroy-vs-spieth-thomas”
NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady and Josh Allen in exhibition golf match | ESPN. Retrieved From “https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/34022480/nfl-quarterbacks-tom-brady-aaron-rodgers-team-defeat-patrick-mahomes-josh-allen-exhibition-golf-match”
The Match: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce vs Steph Curry, Klay Thompson | Golfweek. Retrieved From “https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/05/03/capital-one-the-match-patrick-mahomes-travis-kelce-steph-curry-klay-thompson/”
What happened in Charles Barkley/Phil Mickelson vs. Stephen Curry/Peyton Manning golf match | ESPN. Retrieved From “https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/30393505/happening-charles-barkley-phil-mickelson-vs-steph-curry-peyton-manning”
Aaron Rodgers putt defeats Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in The Match | Buffalo Bills. Retrieved From “https://www.buffalobills.com/news/aaron-rodgers-putt-defeats-josh-allen-and-patrick-mahomes-in-the-match”
Is the Wynn’s Paradise Park Dead? | Las Vegas Advisor. Retrieved From “https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/question/paradise-park-revisited/”
Wynn Golf Club | Las Vegas Golf Course | Wynn Las Vegas. Retrieved From “https://www.wynnlasvegas.com/experiences/golf”
With Stephen Curry Donation, Howard University Brings Back Golf Team | WAMU 88.5. Retrieved From “https://wamu.org/story/19/08/19/with-steph-curry-donation-howard-university-brings-back-golf-team/”
Steph Curry launches all-expenses paid golf tour for young underrepresented players | CNN. Retrieved From “https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/golf/nba-steph-curry-underrated-golf-tour-spc-spt-intl/index.html”
Stephen Curry to be named 2023 Ambassador of Golf | PGA Tour. Retrieved From “https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions/article/news/latest/2023/02/07/stephen-curry-to-be-named-2023-ambassador-of-golf”
Stephen Curry results, scorecards | Flashscore. Retrieved From “https://www.flashscore.com/player/curry-stephen/lbHdYyrr/”
American Century Celebrity Golf Championship Tournament | NBC Golf. Retrieved From “https://americancenturychampionship.com/”
Golf’s next made-for-TV ‘Match’ is here and it’s star-studded | Golf.com. Retrieved From “https://golf.com/news/the-match-steph-curry-patrick-mahomes/”
NFL quarterbacks Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen to tee it up in The Match | ABC News. Retrieved From “https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/nfl-quarterbacks-tom-brady-aaron-rodgers-patrick-mahomes/story?id=84149874”
