Twitter Reacts to Rodgers, DeChambeau and Top Moments from Capital One's The Match
July 7, 2021
On Tuesday, Aaron Rodgers spoke often about how he doesn't play much golf. Then he went out and sank a 10-foot putt to win Capital One's The Match for himself and Bryson DeChambeau against Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson.
The fourth iteration of the event saw the quarterbacks and PGA Tour stars link up at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana for 18 holes. Rodgers and DeChambeau only needed 16 to walk away with a 3 and 2 victory.
Rodgers looked as calm as ever as he drained the winning putt.
The previous 15 holes featured some non-stop trash talking, longest-drive competitions and a whole lot of charitable donations through the alternate shot format. Each player teed off then picked which shot they liked best between teammates. From there, each team alternated shots with their playing partner with the lowest score winning the hole.
With Big Sky providing the backdrop, there was hardly a reason to look away from the action on Tuesday.
Evan Schiller @Evan_SchillerA number of friends heading to Big Sky, Montana wanting some pics of The Reserve at Moonlight Basin. To be at <a href="https://twitter.com/MoonlightBasin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MoonlightBasin</a> is the equivalent to being on a golf course in a National Park, The scale & beauty of this place is extraordinary. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/montana?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#montana</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NicklausCo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NicklausCo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/golfcoursephotos?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#golfcoursephotos</a> <a href="https://t.co/gYN0fab90G">pic.twitter.com/gYN0fab90G</a>
Here's a look at some of the best moments—and reactions—from another wild edition of The Match.
John Ewing @johnewingDeChambeau-Rodgers win <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/THEMATCH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#THEMATCH</a> ⛳️ <br><br>DeChambeau-Rodgers: opened -150, closed -175. <br><br>Majority of bets were on Mickelson-Brady +140. (<a href="https://twitter.com/BetMGM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BetMGM</a>)
DeChambeau and Rodgers won the first hole of the day but this was hardly a runaway victory for the pair. Mickelson and Brady tied No. 2, won Nos. 3 and 4 and tied on No. 5 before DeChambeau and Rodgers were able to even the score at two all.
After the two teams traded holes at Nos . 7 and 8, they tied on No. 9 to keep things even headed to the back stretch. That's when the reigning NFL MVP and the Tour's most electric driver kicked things up a notch, winning the first three holes on the back nine.
To explain just how dire their situation was, Mickelson used some of his best trash-talking yet.
Ted Rosenberry @AllEliteTed<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CapitalOnesTheMatch?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CapitalOnesTheMatch</a> "I'd say it's 4th and 3, we're down 8. Don't think we should be kicking a field goal"<br><br>OMG PHIL!!!! <a href="https://t.co/Z4nrrRZfY3">pic.twitter.com/Z4nrrRZfY3</a>
Unfortunately for Brady and Mickelson, Rodgers had more of a say in the play-calling Tuesday, which helped him lock up a victory over his NFC rival.
It also helped that Rodgers had DeChambeau by his side piping the ball down the fairway with ease—of course that, too, came after some trash talk from Mickelson.
Brady tried his best to throw Rodgers off to no avail, either. During a segment where Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski called in, Brady alluded to Rodgers' ongoing dispute with the Green Bay Packers.
CHRIS TORELLO @TorelloSports“Aaron looks more lazy now than I did in retirement.” - Gronk<br><br>😂😂😂😂😂😂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheMatch?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheMatch</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bucs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bucs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPackGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoPackGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/fs4jS9b3hm">pic.twitter.com/fs4jS9b3hm</a>
The broadcast team led by Charles Barkley tried to get intel on whether or not Rodgers would be returning to Green Bay for the 2021 season, but the quarterback easily side-stepped the questions.
None of the trash talk or football talk worked. Rodgers was too dialed in to even worry about bears wandering around the course.
That has DeChambeau leaving Montana with just as much flair as when he arrived for The Match on Tuesday.
The problem for Rodgers now is no one will take his golf game lightly anymore. As he prepares to participate in this weekend's American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe, he'll have plenty of people coming for him. That includes a field stacked with the likes of Stephen Curry, Larry Fitzgerald, Tom Glavine, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Jerry Rice, Tony Romo, Justin Timberlake and Charles Woodson.
After his tremendous outing Tuesday, Rodgers has more than just NFL MVP to defend. He's got a whole other sport chasing after him.