TNT Sports’ ‘The Match’ Superstars: Predictions for Phelps, Gretzky and More Stars

TNT Sports’ “The Match’ is set to return for its 10th iteration, and this one promises to be the biggest, most expansive event yet. The Match: Superstars will be an eight-player event spanning two nights at Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach.

The Match, which debuted with a head-to-head showdown between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in 2018, has featured several different formats over the years.

Typically, though, pro golfers like Woods, Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang have been a part of the event. Some iterations have solely featured athletes from other sports.

The Match VIII, for example, pitted NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce against NBA stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

The Match: Superstars will deviate even further away from the realm of pro golf with a star-studded eight-player field of celebrities and sports legends.

Where: Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET on both nights

TV and Live Stream: TNT and Max

• Charley Barkley
• Nate Bargatze
• Wayne Gretzky
• Ken Griffey Jr.
• Blake Griffin
• Bill Murray
• Michael Phelps
• Mark Wahlberg

The Match: Superstars will kick off on Thursday with a pair of twosome scramble matches.

In the first round, actor Bill Murray and NHL hall of famer Wayne Gretzky will face NBA hall of famer Charles Barkley and MLB hall of famer Ken Griffey Jr. In the second match of the night, actor Mark Wahlberg and 23-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps will face six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin and comedian Nate Bargatze.

Teams will be split for the second night with individual matches comprising the semifinal and final rounds. The top prize for the event will be $1 million.

While it may seem like an odd assortment of competitors, everyone involved is an avid golf enthusiast and has some experience with prolific competition.

Murray has frequently competed in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, while Wahlberg has hosted the Feldman Automotive Children’s Miracle Celebrity Invitational. Gretzky is a veteran of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, while Phelps, who hosts the Michael Phelps Foundation Golf Classic, has competed at the WM Phoenix Open pro-am.

Bargatze and Griffin both competed at this year’s American Century Championship, while Griffey has competed in the Korn Ferry Tour’s One Club Challenge—and, unsurprisingly, earned praise for his swing.

Barkley, of course, has been a fixture at The Match. He won the third iteration of the event alongside Mickelson and has regularly filled a broadcasting role. In all, this will mark Barkley’s ninth appearance at The Match.

While one might assume that former pro athletes will have the edge in the competition, Gretzky insists that this isn’t necessarily the case.

“People think because you’re an athlete, because I was a hockey player, I should be a good golfer. No, I’m not,” Gretzky said in September, per the Canadian Press. “…I play for fun. It’s a great family sport, and I love it.”

It takes dedication and drive to become a great golfer, something that may give Phelps the edge here. One of the greatest Olympians in history, the 39-year-old has become passionate about improving his golf game.

“I have goals in the game,” Phelps said in January, per Josh Berhow of Golf.com. “I’d like to get down to a scratch. I’m a 7 handicap right now. I’ve kind of corrected my spray off the tee and have been able to dial that in. So I’m giving myself a chance to actually play.”

The prediction here is that Barkley, Griffey, Wahlberg and Phelps advance to Day 2 with Phelps winning it all.