Rory McIlroy, Max Homa join LPGA stars Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang for first-ever ‘Capital One’s The Match’ mixed golf competition on TNT

TNT Sports’ ninth installment of “Capital One’s The Match,” the Sports Emmy-nominated premier live golf event series, will for the first time feature male and female golfers competing in a skins format. Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy will face history-making 11-time LPGA winner Lexi Thompson, rising golf phenom Rose Zhang and 2023 Ryder Cup team member Max Homa in the 12-hole event, to be held Monday, Feb. 26, from The Park golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Coverage simulcast across TNT, truTV, HLN and the B/R Sports Add-On on Max will tee off “under the lights” at 6:30 p.m. ET, along with extensive highlights and content via Bleacher Report’s digital and social platforms.

TNT Sports will again deploy several technological innovations throughout its unique Monday night under-the-lights production, including dozens of cameras and expansive lighting throughout the course to showcase all the action. Also returning will be unprecedented all-access coverage with participating players interacting with one another and the broadcast team via open mics throughout the primetime telecast.

TNT Sports has televisedeight editions of “Capital One’s The Match” and has raised more than $38 million for various philanthropic organizations across the United States. This year's “Capital One’s The Match” will support youth organization First Tee in its mission to provide all kids with access to opportunities while making golf affordable and accessible.

Capital One, a partner since the event’s inception in 2018, will return as title sponsor and will collaborate closely with TNT Sports on a number of social, digital and broadcast integrations leading up to and during the live event.

“We couldn't be happier to be back as a title sponsor of this premier golf event,” said Byron Daub, vice president of sponsorships and experiential marketing at Capital One. "It’s been exciting to see how ‘Capital One’s The Match’ has evolved over the past several years, and we’re proud to be a part of this year’s inclusive lineup with the addition of Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang, two of golf's biggest talents.”

AT&T will serve as an associate sponsor, and DraftKings Sportsbook will be the event’s official sportsbook and fantasy partner. Partners also include Excel Sports Management as the tournament organizer. Additional information about sponsors will be shared leading up to the event.

Competition format

For the event’s first-ever mixed skins format, each hole will be worth a specified amount for charity.

All four golfers will utilize the same tees for the four par-3 holes in the routing, while the remaining eight holes will use varying tee boxes and yardages for the men and women. The golfer raising the most funds through the skins format at the end of the event will be declared the winner.

Additional details to come on the designated holes and challenges.

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley among studio, on-course commentators

Six-time Emmy Award winner Ernie Johnson will return to host his fourth “Capital One’s The Match” and will be joined by “Inside the NBA” colleague and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, making his eighth appearance in the event as a player or commentator. 2008 Masters Champion Trevor Immelman will make his seventh event appearance as analyst, and Kathryn Tappen will return as course reporter for the third time. Three-time LPGA winner and golfing personality Christina Kimwill make her series debut.

GRAMMY winner and multiplatinum artist and producer DJ Khaled and NHL on TNT personality and avid golfer Paul Bissonnette will be joining the team as special contributors, providing commentary while following the participants from a golf cart throughout the live competition, as well as additional content across Bleacher Report’s platforms.

Before they take to the course, McIlroy, Thompson, Zhang and Homa will be asked the questions every fan wants answered during Bleacher Report’s exclusive interactive live stream event – “Hot Seat Press Conference presented by Capital One” – at 5:30 p.m. ET on the B/R app. Hosted by Bissonnette, the show will feature questions fielded from fans across B/R social channels and the B/R app.

B/R will prompt fans across its social channels to submit questions for the chance to have them read live during the press conference. Real-time questions submitted in the B/R app will also be raised during the live stream to take advantage of unexpected moments and answers. “Hot Seat Press Conference presented by Capital One” will be followed by exclusive live stream coverage of the competitors warming up for “Capital One’s The Match.”

Throughout the competition, DJ Khaled and Bissonnette will also provide unique content moments in the B/R app and social platforms with the “Course Cam presented by AT&T,” giving fans direct access to the action that they won’t see anywhere else.

About the golfers

One of the world’s leading golfers, McIlroy is a four-time major winner with a pair of PGA Championship victories (2012, 2014), a U.S. Open (2011) and Open Championship (2014) titles thus far in his career. Overall, he has netted 37 professional wins, including 24 on the PGA TOUR, and 16 on the DP World Tour in Europe.

A standout on the LPGA Tour, Thompson is an 11-time event winner, including one major title — the 2014 Chevron Championship. She’s competed in six Solheim Cups, including wins in 2015 and 2017, and four International Crowns, with one win (2016). Last October, she became just the seventh woman to compete on the PGA TOUR, before narrowly missing the cut line at the Shriners Children’s Open.

Zhang has made an immediate splash since turning pro last May. The 20-year-old won the Mizuho Americas Open in her professional debut in June, which followed one of the most successful amateur careers in history. Zhang won two NCAA Women’s Golf Championships (2022, 2023), back-to-back ANNIKA Awards (2022, 2023) and the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She also topped Tiger Woods’ Stanford record for most wins in school history, while spending a record 141 weeks as the top amateur player in the world.

A member of the USA’s Ryder Cup team in September, Homa is a six-time winner on the PGA TOUR, including four over the previous two seasons. The 32-year-old has captured back-to-back Fortinet Championships (2022, 2023), along with a pair of Wells Fargo Championship wins (2019, 2022), a Farmers Insurance Open victory (2023) and The Genesis Invitational title (2021).

About West Palm Beach’s The Park

“Capital One’s The Match” will be held at the newly reimagined The Park municipal golf course in West Palm Beach. Opened in April 2023 following a complete transformation, the course is at the site of the former West Palm Beach Country Club – a former PGA TOUR stop in the 1950s and 1960s. The Park was designed by Gil Hanse to deliver an exceptional golfing experience for players of all skill levels. The mission of the course is dedicated to youth programs and community outreach such as affordable golf instruction, classrooms for mentoring and after-school tutoring, and a two-acre kids-only golf area.