Tag: 2021 The Match

‘Historical beatdown of epic proportion’: Best chirps, one-liners, and more from The Match

For all the build-up, for all the speculation, the man who had missed two cuts in a row on the PGA Tour put on a clinic.

It was a, well, interesting afternoon in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the fifth installment of The Match, this time a battle between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.

The two PGA Tour superstars have been in an off-course beef for the better part of the last several years, and their feud culminated at the Wynn Golf Club in the heart of Sin City.

For all the build-up, all the speculation, the man who had missed two cuts in a row on the PGA Tour put on a clinic.

Koepka took down DeChambeau, 4 and 3.

You could argue the best part of the telecast was actually the guys in the booth, as the conversations between Charles Barkley and Phil Mickelson were fantastic.

Throughout the short match, there were a few chirps that stood out among the rest — starting with the Lefty’s opinion about what happened to the Europeans at Whistling Straits a few months ago.

5 things you need to know as we head into The Match between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau

Never let it be said that a good rivalry isn’t good for television ratings.

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:

Watch: Bryson DeChambeau belts drives from hotel rooftop at Brooks Koepka target

The hype machine for the Bryson-Brooks Match on Nov. 26 is officially in full swing.

The Brooks and Bryson hype machine for Capital One’s: The Match is officially in full swing.

Ahead of their 12-hole duel on Friday, November 26, Bryson DeChambeau took an elevator to the 60th floor of the Wynn Las Vegas and climbed to the roof to hit a target with arch rival Brooks Koepka’s face on it.

“Why’s he smiling? I’m about to hit him in the face,” DeChambeau said.

From a height of 614 feet, DeChambeau launched a few drives over 500 yards to hit a target laid out on the Wynn Golf Club course the two will soon meet on for their head-to-head match-up.

To hit the target required a blast of 521 yards.

Bryson being Bryson he asked, “What’s the slope adjustment?”

He was told 19 degrees with wind nearly 10 miles per hour.

No idea whether The Mad Scientist did some calculations in his head but he was smiling as he let rip. When DeChambeau belted his first drive, he pronounced, “That’s gone,” but turned out it was short. He kept getting closer but his frustration was rising until he finally clocked one off Koepka’s mug. It wasn’t quite a bullseye, but it would do.

“Now it’s time to go beat him in the real match,” DeChambeau said.

Let’s hope the actual match lives up to the hype.

You can check out the video here.