The Match 4 – Who Will Take Down the Big Sky Charity Event?

Bryson DeChambeau and Green Bay quarterback, at least for now, Aaron Rodgers will take on the team of Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady, partners in The Match 2 last year, in the fourth installment of the series of charity matches sponsored by Capital One and broadcast by TNT. Due to injuries sustained earlier this year in an automobile accident, Tiger Woods, who competed in the first two matches, gives way to DeChambeau, but Mickelson remains the constant in the popular golf event.

The match will be played Tuesday afternoon in a modified alternate shot match play format at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin in Big Sky, Montana, a Jack Nicklaus design that he describes as one of the most picturesque of his over 400 courses. The Ohio native, the winner of 18 major championships, is also the designer of Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, site of the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament that was founded by the former Ohio State player in 1976.

The Reserve plays to a par 72 and stretches to 8000 yards, but at 7500 feet of elevation, its actual playing distance is more equivalent to about 7200 yards at sea level. The back nine has three par three holes and the same number of par fives, one of which is the signature hole that plays downhill to a length of 777 yards.

Mickelson and Brady

The pairing of Mickelson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback Tom Brady takes on added significance following Brady’s improbable seventh Super Bowl victory in February at the age of 43 and Mickelson’s second PGA Championship victory and sixth major title in May at the age of 50.

In The Match 2, the pair teamed together but fell just short, losing to Woods and retired NFL quarterback Peyton Manning 1-up in their 18 hole match.

DeChambeau and Rodgers

Neither DeChambeau nor Rodgers has previously taken part in the Match series, and both have had their share of interesting recent developments. DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, parted ways with his caddy prior to last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he was the defending champion.

The former U.S. Amateur champion out of SMU struggled mightily and failed to qualify for the weekend at the tournament contested at Detroit Golf Club.

Rodgers has been in a seemingly endless feud with the Packers’ front office, and it seems doubtful the league MVP will play for the team in 2021, but the news out of Green Bay seems of change on a daily basis. As far as golf goes, Rodgers reportedly carries about a 4 handicap, considerably better than Brady’s 8, resulting in DeChambeau and Rodgers favorite status for the Match 4.

Betting Odds

The duo have odds of -190, meaning a bettor would need to wager $190 to net $100 in winnings on the bet, while Mickelson and Brady are at +150 with a winning wager of $100, resulting in net winnings of $150. While Rodgers is better than Brady, DeChambeau’s game is in serious disarray, and Mickelson is well known as a savvy money player among his fellow Tour competitors.