Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson, Max Homa and Rose Zhang to Play in First Mixed 'Match'
It’s official: The next installation of The Match is getting a long-awaited makeover.
For the first time in its six-year history, the made-for-TV event will feature a mixed lineup of LPGA and PGA Tour players: Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang and Max Homa. The four will face off in a skins match on Monday, Feb. 26.
The foursome will tee it up at 6:30 p.m. ET under the lights at The Park golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla., for a 12-hole competition aired on TNT.
Format
In a skins match, each hole is given a monetary value. To win a “skin,” a player must win the hole outright. If no player wins outright, the skin value is added to the next hole, increasing its value.
This year’s Match will support the First Tee, meaning each hole’s value will designate a donation for the youth golf organization. The PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players will hit from the same tee boxes on the four par-3s and varying tee boxes on the remaining holes. The player who raises the most money at the conclusion of the competition will be the winner.
Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson, Max Homa and Rose Zhang (clockwise from top left) will headline the first mixed ‘Match’ on Feb. 26.
USA TODAY Network
Players
Zhang, 20, turned professional in May and immediately cemented herself as a force for years to come. She won in her LPGA debut at the Mizuho Americas Open, just two weeks after capturing back-to-back individual NCAA DI titles at Stanford and closing out one of the greatest amateur careers in women’s golf history.
“I’m so excited to play in The Match,” Zhang told Sports Illustrated. “I’ve enjoyed watching this franchise over the years. They’ve had so many great celebrities and golfers and its always entertaining with Charles Barkley on the mic. I’m honored to tee it up alongside Rory, Max and Lexi and know we’ll have a blast raising money to help make the game more accessible for all.”
An 11-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion, Thompson is no stranger to mixed competition. She teed it up in the PGA Tour’s Shriners Children’s Open last October, where she hit multiple 300-yard drives and nearly made the cut. Zhang and Thompson were teammates at the 2023 Solheim Cup in Andalucia, Spain.
McIlroy will make his second appearance in The Match. In December 2022, the four-time major champion teed it up with Tiger Woods at Pelican Golf Club, where they were swiftly defeated by Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. The Northern Irishman is already off to a hot start this season: He followed up a T2 finish at the Dubai Invitational with a victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Homa is making his debut in the exhibition. The six-time PGA Tour winner was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team this fall and his witty humor and charismatic social media presence likely made him an easy choice for the mic’d-up broadcast.
Broadcast
The ninth installation of the event is also set to feature some new voices in the booth. DJ Khaled, the rap music producer-turned golf social media maven, will join the broadcast as a “special contributor” along with TNT’s Paul Bissonnette. Plus, the LPGA’s Christina Kim makes her first appearance as a commentator. Charles Barley, Ernie Johnson and Trevor Immelman and Kathryn Tappen will return as familiar faces to the franchise.
Why this Match is so special:
The mixed format of this year’s Match comes in conjunction with a series of efforts to place PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players on the same stages more often—most notably, December’s Grant Thornton Invitational (GTI) and Thompson’s PGA Tour start last fall. Zhang and Thompson both competed in the GTI, a mixed-gender team event, which was won by Jason Day and Lydia Ko. In 2029, the U.S. Women’s Open and the U.S. Open will be held during back-to-back weeks at Pinehurst for just the second time in history.
"It’s been exciting to see how Capital One’s The Match has evolved over the past several years,” said Byron Daub, VP of Capital One’s Sponsorships and Marketing. “We’re proud to be a part of this year’s inclusive lineup with the addition of Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang, two of golf's biggest talents.”
