Never let it be said that a good rivalry isn’t good for television ratings.
At least that’s the basic premise behind the fifth edition of Capital One’s The Match this week. For much of the last year, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau and their fans have taken potshots at each other, and the back and forth became so silly at one point that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan actually said fans could get kicked out of Tour events for adding to the vitriol by saying the wrong thing to the wrong player.
Remember, previously The Match was Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson, a pretty good rivalry, and then there were amateur partners Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, also long-time rivals. Rivalry stokes the event.
The bad feelings melted away between Koepka and DeChambeau, we are told, during the Ryder Cup, when the golfers actually offered to play together for the good of the team. Then came the news that the two talented and major championship-winning golfers would be the featured attraction in The Match the Friday after Thanksgiving. It will be televised by TNT and TBS at 1 p.m. PT.
In a sense, The Match is just an extension of what golf has always tried to provide — some made-for-television competition between two (or four) players on golf courses that many people will never play or perhaps have never seen. No one will confuse The Match for Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, but at least the idea and spirit are similar.
Team USA player Bryson DeChambeau looks over his yardage book on the sixth green during day three singles rounds for the 43rd Ryder Cup.
How much different will The Match V be than the previous matches that relied heavily on Mickelson as a competitor? And what will be the same?
More on The Match: How to watch | Odds | Yardage book | Wynn photo gallery
Here are five things to think about before Koepka and DeChambeau tee off: