TNT Sports is rebooting its series of live golf events The match with a twist: It will pit teams of A-list stars and all-star athletes against each other, in prime time, over the course of two nights, in what it calls The match: Superstar.
TNT Sports has fielded celebrities including Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg and Nate Bargatze, as well as NBA legends and Inside the NBA all-time NHL great and analyst Charles Barkley NHL on TNT analyst Wayne Gretzky, Olympic legend Michael Phelps, former MLB star Ken Griffey Jr. and former NBA star Blake Griffin, who will team up as a duo for match play.
The match: Superstar will be held November 21 and 22 and will be simulcast on TNT and Max live in prime time. Ernie Johnson will host, along with 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and Kathryn Tappen.
The teams will see Murray and Gretzky team up to face Barkley and Griffey, while Wahlberg and Phelps will face Bargatze and Griffin in the first round of play. Semifinals and finals will follow. The Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida will host the event.
The winner will receive a prize of 1 million dollars.
TNT Sports launches for the first time The match in 2018, looking to create a new live commercial franchise that he can own. The opening match pitted Tiger Woods against Phil Mickelson. Subsequent matchups often featured golfers paired with athletes (Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers all participated), or in some cases had athlete-versus-athlete matchups, as when Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce faced Steph Curry and Klay Thompson the last time. year.
The latest iteration of the event was held in February, with Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson, Max Homa and Rose Zhang facing off.
The match is the rare live event developed and owned by a media company, and the latest iteration highlights how TNT Sports continues to try to bring the concept to life, featuring major stars and notable athletes. If the latest version works, one can imagine the company pursuing a similar strategy for future editions.