Capital One's 'The Match 8': Predictions for Mahomes, Kelce vs. Steph, Klay

Capital One's "The Match" is set for its eighth iteration this week, and this one features a twist on the formula.

Over its first seven editions, The Match either pitted pro golfers—Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods faced off in the inaugural event—athletes from other sports, or some combination of the two against one another.

In the third iteration, Michelson and Charley Barkley faced Stephen Curry and Peyton Manning.

This time around, we'll see stars from two different sports, the NBA and NFL, going head-to-head, and they're bringing teammates along for the ride. In The Match 8, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs will face Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.

The two tandems have won a combined six world championships, and each team is comprised of two players who know one another well. However, neither Kelce nor Thompson has played in The Match before, and it'll be a lot of fun seeing how all of the preexisting chemistry translates to the course.

The Match, is all about fun and charity, and this round of the made-for-television event will benefit the No Kid Hungry campaign. Below, you'll find everything you need to know about The Match 8, along with some predictions.

The Match 8

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Travis Kelce

When: Thursday, June 29

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas

Format: 12-Hole Scramble

TV: TNT, truTV & HLN

Broadcast Team:

Preview and Prediction

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Stephen Curry

There might not be a better passing-receiving connection in the NFL than that of Mahomes and Kelce. Curry and Thompson, meanwhile, are arguably the best shooting duo in NBA history. However, these players' respective sports greatness may have little bearing on the course.

Curry and Mahomes are the two with experience in The Match, though neither has won it. Curry and Manning fell to Michelson and Barkley, while Mahomes and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen were defeated by Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in The Match VI.

However, Thompson and Kelce are no strangers to the golf course, and the Chiefs tight end competed in the 2022 American Century Championship.

Thompson and his fellow Splash Brother recently discussed their golf habits with Bleacher Report:

What must be noted here, though, is that this will be a scramble event. For those unfamiliar, scramble is a variant in which a team picks the best lie after each shot and each member takes their next swing from that spot. It's a bit different than best-ball formats, where each participant plays their own shots but only the lowest score is counted.

In both scramble and best-ball formats, though, a single golfer can carry his team, and that could give the Warriors members a big edge here. Curry is the best golfer of the group and bested both Mahomes and Kelce at last year's American Century Championship.

Curry finished tied for 16th, while Mahomes and Kelce finished tied for 51st and 64th, respectively. He stated in January that holds a handicap of +1.

"Currently it's +1, but the jury is out if I'm actually playing up to that. I had a really good summer though." Curry told Brady Langmann of Esquire.

However, when PGA star Collin Morikawa rated the four competitor's swings in a video for Golf Digest, he came away most impressed with Kelce's.

"I'm putting you above Steph," Morikawa said. "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."

Of course, a nice-looking swing isn't enough to win a high-pressure golf competition, which is what these four superstars will tackle on Thursday. While Mahomes and Kelce may be the more consistent team, the prediction here is that Curry plays the strongest round and carries his duo to victory.

Prediction: Curry, Thompson win by two holes.