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Tom Brady’s shot, Brooks Koepka’s beatdown and more: Here are the best moments from all versions of The Match

adam woodard
·4 min read

Over the last few years golf fans have been treated to made-for-TV matches that offer a different kind of competition from that of the 72-hole stroke play events on the professional tours.

Five installments of Capital One’s: The Match have featured everyone from Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, as well as two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry. The matches in Las Vegas, Florida, Arizona and Montana have produced on-course highlights and bloopers with plenty of well-timed and hilarious trash talk in between (much at the expense of the great Charles Barkley).

Even Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka got into the act with a duel just off the Las Vegas Strip.

Let’s take a scroll through some of the best moments throughout the history of the competition.

The Match: How to watch The Match VI: Rodgers/Brady vs. Allen/Mahomes 

Tom Brady holes out from fairway, splits pants

Brady struggled in his Match debut through the opening six holes, and we all remember how we famously split his pants. But did you remember this hole-out?

NBA on TNT crew vs. Charles Barkley

Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal joined the Champions for Change broadcast to tease their colleague Charles Barkley, with jokes ranging from Barkley’s weight to his poor putting.

Aaron Rodgers walks in winning putt

Rodgers was impressive in his match debut, and even carried DeChambeau for some of the early holes. Then he started walking in putts like he’s Kevin Na.

Justin Thomas calls out 'fat ass' Charles Barkley on TV

“As soon as I said it I wondered if I maybe shouldn’t have. I have a bad tendency of saying whatever comes to my head and that was one of those times,” said Thomas with a laugh to No Laying Up. “For some reason it’s fun talking smack to him and when he said that, he put it on a tee for me. I was going to let it go but I had to swing at it.”

Phil on Bryson's 480-yard bomb: 'Is that even legal?'

On the par-5 8th hole in the most-recent Match between Mickelson and Brady vs. DeChambeau and Rodgers at The Reserve Golf Course at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana, Phil was left in awe of this Bryson bomb.

Rickie Fowler calls first Match a 'pillow fight'

Tell us how ya really feel, Rickie.

Chuck being Chuck

Barkley called game and told the broadcast to get some Law and Order reruns ready early. The man is the gift that keeps on giving every time he’s got a mic.

Tiger chips in to force playoff

The original match between Tiger and Phil left a little something to be desired across the board, but the boys delivered with some late drama, including this chip-in for birdie for Tiger that would tie the match and send it to a playoff.

Brooks Koepka: "Any questions?"

For all the build-up, all the speculation, Brooks vs. Bryson didn’t offer much drama.

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.

Koepka stuck it to just outside 10 feet on the par-3 6th, which resulted in 500,000 meals being donated under his name (due to winning the closest to the pin contest on that hole).

DeChambeau missed his birdie bid, which was inside 15 feet from underneath the hole, opening the door for the four-time major champion to extend his lead.

He walked in the putt to go 3 up.

“Any questions?” Koepka quipped.

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