Account
Mickelson, Brady vs. DeChambeau, Rodgers Prize Money, Distribution for Charity
July 6, 2021
It didn't take long for the trash talk to start after the latest installment of Capital One's The Match was announced. The highly anticipated golf event may be for good causes, but that doesn't mean these competitive athletes aren't going to bring their best to the greens at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Mont., on Tuesday.
On one side, there's the duo of six-time major winner Phil Mickelson and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. They've played together before at Capital One's The Match: Champions for Charity in May 2020, when they lost to Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning.
On the other side, there's the team of 2020 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and 2020 NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, neither of whom has previously played at a Capital One's The Match event. But they're a formidable duo that should have a strong showing.
None of these stars will be playing to win money for themselves, as this iteration of Capital One's The Match is being held to benefit My Brother's Keeper Alliance, Feeding America and the Montana Food Bank Network. There will also be on-course challenges taking place to "help raise additional awareness and funding for these important initiatives," per the event's press release.
It hasn't been announced exactly how much money will be raised for these causes. At Capital One's The Match: Champions for Change last November, there was $4.4 million donated to a group of historically Black colleges and universities.
Not only has Brady been showing off his putting game ahead of this event, he's also been one of the biggest trash talkers heading into Tuesday. He even trolled Rodgers during a press conference held last month.
After DeChambeau was talking up his and Rodgers' golf games, Brady took a jab at how Rodgers' 2020 season ended with the Packers. For those who may have forgotten, Green Bay lost to Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game, with the Packers making a questionable decision to kick a field goal on a 4th-and-Goal from the eight-yard line while trailing by eight points late in the game.
"I do think you do have a partner that would probably have liked to go for it a little more often than he has in the past, so Bryson, I'm glad you're encouraging him to kind of go for it when it's on the line, rather than just not getting to the fairway or something like that and try to play for the next shot," Brady said.
That came after DeChambeau made a deflategate joke earlier in the press conference.
"I just can't wait to be testing those golf balls out, those things may feel a little different when it comes game time," DeChambeau said. "But we'll see. We'll make sure that stuff's all dialed in and make sure it's all conforming."
Expect more of those friendly barbs during the event, as the four will be mic'd up on the TNT broadcast, which should provide plenty of entertainment. In addition to the money being raised for charities, that's among the best parts of these types of events.
Still, these four will be playing to win. But which duo is going to emerge victorious?
Rodgers seems to have the edge over Brady, as the Packers quarterback plays in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament each year. And DeChambeau is having a stronger season than Mickelson, although Mickelson won the PGA Championship in May.
DeChambeau and Rodgers are more likely to win, but Mickelson and Brady can never be counted out. Either way, it's going to be entertaining to watch.