Head-to-Head Showdown: NBA vs NFL in The Match 2023 - Which duo will prevail?
Capital One's The Match is here. Later this evening, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, teammates and NBA champions for the Golden State Warriors, will face off with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, teammates and NFL champions for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes has played in this charity golf event once before and he's the only current member to do so. However, they all play golf, so it should be an interesting evening.
Here's what you need to know about when and where this epic event is going to take place as well as predictions about the gameplay.
What to know about Capital One's The Match in 2023
Date: Thursday, June 29
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas
Format: 12-Hole Scramble
Television details: TNT, truTV & HLN will broadcast
Who will win The Match 2023?
Bryan Zuriff, the creator of The Match and the man who first pitted Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson against one another for charity, discussed the upcoming event and the players that will play in it (via Awful Announcing):
“This year’s competitors are championship-winning duos from different leagues. We’ve got Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce up against Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. They’re the top stars in football and basketball."
"They’re teammates, competitors, and some of the biggest names in their sports. And—most importantly here—they’re united by their love of the game of golf, and we know they’ll help bring more eyes to the sport.”
Each of them has played golf before. None of them are professionals in this arena, but they know how to handle a club. Zuriff noted that about each of their games:
“Who’s going to win? I really can’t tell! Steph’s a phenomenal golfer, Klay’s unproven but working on his game, Patrick is really solid and Travis hits the ball out of the park. It’s going to be interesting to see who’s going to win in that scenario.”
Overall, the stronger duo has to be the duo of Mahomes and Kelce, who make perhaps the NFL's best duo right now as well. Mahomes has proven himself on the green with his performance in The Match alongside Josh Allen.
Kelce, to his credit, can really swing the club. He doesn't possess the fine skills that make a well-rounded player, but if he's teeing off, it's going to go a long way.
However, the best overall player in the charity event is probably Steph Curry. The NBA MVP and champion routinely plays in Pro-Ams and celebrity tournaments. He also has a foundation dedicated to growing the game of golf.
Despite that, pro golfer Collin Morikawa says that Kelce has a better swing than Curry (via Bleacher Report):
"I'm putting you above Steph. You've got the best takeaway, you've got the best transition on the way down. I don't know how you actually play golf, but it looks pretty."
Thompson remains the wild card here, though. He's the most unproven golfer of the bunch, which actually makes for an evenly-matched tournament. With the best player in Curry and the theoretical worst player in Thompson on one team, the other team has two middle players. On paper, it's a fair shake.
Ultimately, talent should win out. When it comes to the game of golf, one player can carry another. If Thompson turns out to be one of the worst golfers in the world, which would be a surprise, then Mahomes and Kelce will win.
If the sharpshooter is even remotely decent, though, then Curry's talent should be enough to get the win. However, regardless of which team comes out on top, this should be a tightly contested match.