A novelty event that got the attention of sports fanatics and bettors when first introduced in 2018, The Match has now become an annual event. And in the line of inclusion and to appeal to a different fan base, The Match 2024 will include LPGA pros for the first time. The first edition of The Match pitted golf royalty against each other with Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods going head-to-head and there have been variations in format and competitors ever since. This year’s edition features female pros Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang along with PGA players Rory McIlroy and Max Homa playing a 12-hole skins game under the lights at Park Municipal Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
There’s been a wrinkle in all iterations of The Match and this one is no different. Not only are women competing for the first time, but the format also has each golfer playing against the others with no teams. Feminism be damned the women will have a closer tee shot on several holes to try and even things out. It’s all for fun with a dollar amount attached to each hole. The golfer that raises the most money for charity by winning skins will also be crowned The Match 2024 champion. Four-time major winner McIlroy is the betting favorite.
The Match 2024 takes place on Monday, February 26, 2024 at the Park Golf Club in West Palm Beach, FL at 6:30 p.m. ET with television coverage provided by TNT. On top of the outright there will also be countless wagering opportunities in a variety of other markets. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete, updated list of odds and to place your wager on The Match 2024.
The Match 2024 Winner Odds
Rory McIlroy +135
Max Homa +250
Rose Zhang +400
Lexi Thompson +450
The Players
Unlike other versions of The Match that featured a team format when more than two players competed, the foursome on Monday will be riding solo. It’s every man for himself, so to speak, except there are women in the field, and two well-regarded players on the LPGA Tour. The women’s game doesn’t get the attention the men do and therefore the accomplishments of Zhang and Thompson sometimes go unnoticed.
A two-time NCAA Division I individual champion, Zhang also led her Stanford squad to a team title all but securing her future on the Ladies Tour. And just so there was no doubt about her career choice, Zhang won her debut event on the LPGA Tour last year. Zhang’s accuracy is impeccable ranking among the top 5 on the LPGA in driving accuracy and GIR.
Playing with the guys is no big deal for Thompson, who pegged it up in Vegas at the Shriners Children’s Open last October. She missed the cut but proved not only to herself but many others that she could hang with the men. Over her career Thompson has won 11 times on the LPGA Tour.
Considering his career resume you can’t help but put McIlroy as the betting favorite. One of the top players on the PGA Tour, McIlroy is also the only player among the four to have competed in The Match previously. Things didn’t go well for him and Tiger Woods losing to Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in a match-play event. There were some similarities that may prove helpful for Rory. That event in 2022 was also played in Florida and was the first to air in primetime under the lights.
Now more than a decade into his professional career, Homa has made a name for himself more recently on the PGA Tour with five of his six Tour triumphs coming in the past three years. That’s right around the same number of wins McIlroy has in that span, though Rory collected some on the European Tour over that spell. Still, Homa has been a more significant player recently boasting a complete bag.
The Format
The players will compete against each other in a 12-hole skins game with dollar amounts attached to each hole. All four players will use the same tee box on the par 3 holes with the ladies tees coming into play on the other holes. It is an exhibition for charity with the player winning the most skins and money declared The Match 2024 champion.
The Course
When it comes to The Park there are a lot of conflicting storylines, especially for this event. We tend to view pro golf in terms of country clubs and exclusivity. Well, that‘s not The Park. It’s more of a community center, but a well kept one. And unlike many courses in the Sunshine State there are no housing developments surrounding the property or out of bounds markers; no water hazards either.
The Outcome
It’s hard not to go with McIlroy as the winner, but it is an exhibition and we don’t know how motivated he’s going to be. But you still don’t want to be known as the guy that lost to a girl, so I’m backing Rory despite the short odds.
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