The Match: Player handicaps, start time, what you need to know

It’s a battle of the ballers — footballers and basketballers, that is — in the latest edition of The Match, now in its eighth iteration, which is set to tee off on Thursday.

Two-time NFL Super Bowl champs Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs will take on four-time NBA champions Steph Curry and Klay Thompson at Las Vegas’ lavish Wynn Golf Club. The action begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.

You can find everything you need to know about The Match VIII below.

Who is playing in The Match, and what are their handicaps?

There are four competitors playing in this version of The Match. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are teammates who will play against Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Curry has the lowest reported handicap of the group, at +1 — that’s better than scratch! Thompson is reportedly a 15.

Kelce boasts a handicap of 11, while Mahomes is a 7.7.

There’s no question that Curry — who has competed on the Korn Ferry Tour with a sponsor’s exemption — is clearly the strongest player of the group.

Have any of the players competed in The Match before?

Not only does Curry boast the most impressive golf chops of this year’s Match competitors, he’s also played in a Match before.

Curry teamed up with Peyton Manning in 2020. The pair was defeated by Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley.

Mahomes is also making his second appearance, after teaming up with Josh Allen in 2022. The duo lost to Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

Kelce and Thompson are making their Match debuts.

What time does The Match start, and how can I watch it?

The Match begins at 6:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on TNT, truTV, and HLN.

You can also stream The Match coverage on Sling TV.

Where is The Match being played?

This iteration of The Match is being played at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nev.

What is The Match format?

Team Curry-Thompson and Team Mahomes-Kelce will play 12 holes in a scramble format. That means that each player hits a shot, and each team can pick the best shot of the two and play on from that spot, where they will repeat the process until the ball is holed. The lowest team score wins the hole, and the team that wins the most holes wins the match.

In addition to the match play element, there will also be special “challenge holes” up for grabs: holes 4, 6, 8 and 12. If any player can make a hole-in-one on these holes, $2 million will be donated to charity in the team’s name. If the hole-in-one happens to be on No. 12, that amount gets bumped to $5 million.

If there are no holes-in-one, teams can still earn charity money by getting within five feet of the hole off the tee. That’s worth $250,000. If that doesn’t happen for either team, $100,000 will be donated for the team that ends up closest to the hole.

What are The Match odds?

Curry and Thompson are -230, while Kelce and Mahomes are +195.

Who’s on the commentary team?

Charles Barkley and Trevor Immelman will be back as analysts, as will Kathryn Tappen as the on-course reporter. Ernie Johnson will host for the third time, while Von Miller and Draymond Green will join the team as cart commentators.

How much money is up for grabs?

While there is no official purse in The Match, there’s plenty of money at stake on the challenge holes, which is donated to charity. This year’s designated charity is No Kid Hungry, which aims to end childhood hunger in the United States.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.