On Sunday, Capital One’s The Match grasped the attention of nearly every sports fan in America. With sports fans yearning for live entertainment, the combination of golf legends Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and legendary NFL quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady provided terrific competition, intensity, fun and comedic relief all at once.
Woods and Mickelson have participated in an event similar to this before. In the fall of 2018, they played a one-on-one match play round available on pay-per-view. The broadcast was mostly a dud. The second version, however, exceeded all expectations.
The purist golf fans immediately noticed how smooth and comfortable Woods looked out on the course. Those same fans also relished some of the commentary provided by Justin Thomas and Mickelson, specifically as it relates to the in-depth strategy that goes into each shot.
The general sports fan was entertained by just about everything else. Brady’s struggles early on in the round were relatable to so many amateur golfers. He was seemingly crumbling under the pressure of playing in front of millions of people on television and a couple of the greatest golfers ever. And then, of course, whether it was Brady’s knack for the big moment on the gridiron carrying over to the golf course or further support to the notion that golf is just a weird game, Brady immediately holed out on the seventh hole just as Charles Barkley was chirping him in the broadcast booth.
And on top of that, Brady ripped his pants as he plucked his ball out of the hole.
Overall, it was terrific entertainment that ultimately raised $20 million for COVID-19 relief. Not bad.
The broadcast, of course, featured two of the best golfers of all-time and two of the best NFL players of all-time. So, the question must be asked: What would The Match look like if it was Minnesota athletes only?
If the Minnesota Match was to take a similar format, it would include a couple of Minnesotan PGA Tour professionals and a couple of successful professional athletes that hail from Minnesota.
Tim Herron and Tom Lehman jump out as excellent choices to fill the roles of professional golfers for the Minnesota version of The Match. Herron is from the Twin Cities area and has won four times on the PGA Tour. He recently transitioned to the PGA Tour Champions, reserved for PGA Tour professionals at 50 years old or older. Herron has earned nearly $20 million as a professional on the PGA Tour.
Meanwhile, Lehman is from Alexandria and played college golf at the University of Minnesota. He is the only player to earn Player of the Year honors on all three PGA Tour-sponsored tours: the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He won on the PGA Tour five times and also won a major title at the 1996 Open Championship.
Joining Herron and Lehman in the Minnesota version of The Match would be Minnesota Vikings receiver Adam Thielen and Minnesota Twins legend Joe Mauer. Thielen is a skilled golfer and won a Minnesota state championship as a member of the Detroit Lakes varsity team in 2008.
Mauer is perhaps the best all-around athlete that has ever hailed from the state of Minnesota. He was an elite high-school athlete at just about anything he participated in, whether it was football, basketball or baseball. Of course, Mauer ultimately picked baseball for a professional career and became one of the best Minnesota Twins ever.
Based on his immediate success in basically any other sport, one would assume Mauer can golf pretty well. During spring training of 2017, Mauer reportedly recorded an albatross while playing at The Colony with teammate Glen Perkins. That in itself ensures that Mauer can play golf, and play it well.
Honorable Mentions
Of course, Thielen and Mauer aren’t the only athletes that could be considered for a Minnesota version of The Match. Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Zach Parise of the Minnesota Wild are both noted golf enthusiasts. Kyle Rudolph has previously joined both Thielen and Mauer at the American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament as well.
Then, of course, there’s Nelson Cruz, who hit a tee shot at Topgolf that is still orbiting planet Earth.
For entertainment purposes, a plethora of other Minnesota athletes would surely be asked to at least make an appearance on the broadcast. Randy Moss comes to mind first. He’s more of a fisher than a golfer, but his presence on ESPN as a commentator suggests his energy would improve this hypothetical broadcast.
John Randle is another Minnesota athlete that would bring some serious entertainment. Could Randle’s crazy energy on the football field adequately carry over to the golf course?
It’s unclear how much of a golfer Brett Favre is, but almost every Vikings fan — and perhaps every NFL fan — would be thoroughly intrigued by an appearance by Favre with some dialogue about his decision to join the Vikings and his experience during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
The Course
Minnesota is filled with some incredible golf courses, without a doubt. Hazeltine National in Chaska appears to be the most recognizable name to the most casual golf fans that would tune into this match. Hazeltine hosted the 2016 Ryder Cup and has hosted a couple of majors in the 21st century.
Hazeltine would definitely be the favorite to host this match.
BROADCAST TEAM
The broadcast team put together for Sunday’s match between Woods, Mickelson, Manning and Brady certainly added to the viewing experience. Minnesota sports have been blessed with some tremendous television and radio commentators over the years that could call this event. Anthony LaPanta would be a great option to maintain the Minnesotan theme. Paul Allen’s energy calling football games would be exciting to add to golf. Dick Bremer’s storytelling would be terrific in between shots, especially as it pertains to Mauer.
Jim Petersen‘s analysis during Timberwolves games is unprecedented in basketball. Maybe, as an avid golfer, he could carry that over to the golf course?
At any rate, a Minnesota-themed golf match that mirrors the format of Sunday’s match between Woods, Mickelson, Manning and Brady would certainly capture the attention of Minnesota sports fans who, just like sports fans everywhere, are yearning for entertainment.
