LIV Golf's Bubba Watson has been unveiled as part of the broadcast team for the latest edition of 'The Match', which is due to take place at Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach later this month.
Titled 'The Match: Superstars', a number of iconic faces from across sport and entertainment will compete in a two-day competition on Thursday, November 21 and Friday, November 22 - broadcast in primetime on TNT Sports and available to stream on HBO Max.
Watson - who last appeared on commentary duty during his injury-hit first season with the LIV Golf League in 2022 - will work alongside host Ernie Johnson and on-course reporter Kathryn Tappen as well as analysts Trevor Immelman and Charles Barkley.
Watson and Tappen will be featuring in regular walk-and-talks with the competitors while adding their unique insights into the unfolding action.
Meanwhile, Barkley - the former 76ers, Suns, and Rockets forward - is also playing in the event and will be involved in some capacity for the ninth time since the production launched.
NEWS: TNT Sports to host The Match: Superstars special 2-night golf event, Nov. 21 & Nov. 22 on TNT & @SportsonMax:⚾Ken Griffey Jr.🏊@MichaelPhelps🏀Charles Barkley🎥@markwahlberg🎥Bill Murray😂@natebargatze🏒@WayneGretzky🏀@blakegriffin23More: https://t.co/H9WvuXXOJw pic.twitter.com/O6s7feWhyKOctober 31, 2024
Making up the remainder of the eight-man field - which is ultimately competing for a $1 million prize - are Bill Murray, Mark Wahlberg, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Phelps, Nate Bargatze, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Blake Griffin.
The competition will begin at the quarter-final stage with two-versus-two scramble match play, and the winning teams will set up the semi-final and final stages. Once play reaches the final four, the format will be individual match play.
Scramble teams for 'The Match' are as follows:
- Bill Murray and Wayne Gretzky versus Charles Barkley and Ken Griffey Jr.
- Mark Wahlberg and Micheal Phelps versus Nate Bargatze and Blake Griffin.
As well as having the participants mic'd up at all times, TNT Sports says the Cart Cam will be in operation alongside drone cameras as it hopes to "elevate the fan experienced by deploying a number of technological innovations throughout the taped production."
The Match - which will be attempting to raise money that will go to hurricane relief efforts across the US - is a separate entity to The Showdown, a made-for-TV contest between two of the LIV Golf League's best and a couple of rivals from the PGA Tour which is slated for later this year.
Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka will take on Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas on Tuesday, December 17 in a mixed-format competition, also scheduled to be shown on TNT Sports.
