Made-for-TV golf event to feature NFL star QBs at Wynn

The Match is returning to Las Vegas in June, but for the first time, no professional golfers will be involved.

NFL quarterbacks Josh Allen, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers will compete in the made-for-TV match-play event June 1 at Wynn Golf Club.

Think of it as a glorified pro-am, without the pros.

Brady and Rodgers, veterans of previous Match events, will take on newcomers Allen and Mahomes in a 12-hole competition starting at 3:30 p.m., making it prime-time viewing for Turner Sports on the East Coast.

Whether spectators will be allowed on the course has yet to be decided, said Gerry Manolatos, senior director of communications for Turner Sports. That is among many details being ironed out, he said.

The Match began in 2018 when Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson battled at Shadow Creek in a prime-time affair. Various combinations of professional golfers and athletes have followed.

The most recent version pitted Brooks Koepka against Bryson DeChambeau at Wynn Golf Club on Thanksgiving weekend. Koepka dominated, winning 5&3 in an event absent spectators and on-site media.

While Brady and Rodgers have put their games on display previously, this will be a first for Mahomes and Allen. The Buffalo Bills quarterback did play this year in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am as a 9-handicap. Mahomes is reportedly a 7.7 handicap, Brady an 8.1 and Rodgers a 4.6, but those numbers are from playing without the pressure of TV cameras.

The Match will again have all the players wearing open mics for the duration of the event where they can communicate with other players and commentators. The hope from organizers is that it will lead to some playful trash talk.

Brady didn’t wait to get started, tweeting out an image Monday of him watching a child swinging a golf club with a Buffalo Bills helmet photo-edited on the boy’s head. He wrote “An artists rendering of me watching @JoshAllenQB’s approach after laying up on a par 4.”

Allen quickly responded. “At least he didn’t put me in @Bradybrand apparel.” He also referred to the match as “2 old bulls, 2 young calves.”

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.