Since The Match launched in 2018, the exhibition event has attracted some of the biggest names from golf and elsewhere, including Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, and NFL stars Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
For the first time in its history, though, the latest edition – The Match IX – will be a mixed event. The action, which takes place at the Park City Municipal Golf Course at Florida’s West Palm Beach on Monday, features LPGA Tour stars Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang, and PGA Tour stars Rory McIlroy and Max Homa.
Thompson has 11 LPGA Tour wins, while Zhang became the first player since 1951 to win on her first LPGA Tour professional start at last year’s Mizuho Americas Open. Meanwhile, McIlroy has four Major wins and will also compete at the Cognizant Classic later this week, while Homa is eighth in the world rankings with six PGA Tour wins.
The Match IX Format
Lexi Thompson is one of four players at The Match IX
Previous editions of The Match have adopted a scramble format with two teams of two players competing against each other, but the latest contest will see all take part in a skins game over 12 holes
Skins games generally allocate a monetary value to each hole. If a player wins the first hole they get the skin. However, if nobody wins the hole outright, the skin is carried over and the next hole is worth two skins. This continues until someone wins a hole outright.
When somebody wins a hole, the next will be worth one skin again. The player with the most skins at the end of the round is declared the winner. In The Match IX, each hole has a monetary allocation, with the proceeds going to charity.
Additionally, each player will use the same tees for the four par 3s, with the other eight holes using different tee boxes and yardages for the men and women.
How To Watch The Match IX
The action begins at 6.30pm ET (11.30pm GMT).
The Match will be broadcast on TNT, TBS, TruTV and HLN with streaming on Max with the Bleacher Report Sport add-on, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and Sling TV.
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