'The Match' Returns With Phil Mickelson, Charles Barkley, Stephen Curry, and Peyton Manning

It feels like it was a dozen years ago at this point, but it was only in May that our only dose of live sports came in the form of 'The Match,' a charity golf round featuring Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson. It was a lot of fun to watch. Brady ripped his pants, hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised in COVID relief funds, and it was all the general public talked about for a month.

It was successful enough that Turner Sports decided to give it another go. Today, the company announced that 'The Match' would have a 2020 sequel featuring Manning and Mickelson once more, but this time alongside Stephen Curry and Charles Barkley. It's to air on November 27 with all proceeds going to charity once more.

Per the press release:

"Turner Sports will present Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Change, a premier golf event with the World Golf Hall of Famer and crossover legends competing – Phil Mickelson, Charles Barkley, Stephen Curry and Peyton Manning. TNT will exclusively televise the event, to be held Friday, Nov. 27, at 3 p.m. ET at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Oro Valley, Ariz."

"Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Change will uniquely contribute toward and highlight diversity, equality and inclusion through donations to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), while raising awareness and spotlighting opportunities for diversity and equality in sports. All four players have previously supported diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout their careers, which has led to them teaming up for this event. "

The teams will be Curry and Manning vs. Barkley and Mickelson with a modified alternate shot format that will likely be similar to the setup earlier this year. Curry is known for his enjoyment of the links, while Barkley is rather infamous for his ugly golf swing. He was featured at the end of the last version of 'The Match', raising money for charity while attempting to bogey the final hole at Medalist Golf Club in Florida.

It should be another fun event for a good cause. This iteration probably won't be as popular as its May predecessor, if only because the combined star power of Tiger Woods, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning is nearly impossible to match (sorry, Phil). But you already know we'll get a baker's dozen of soundbites from Barkley alone. If Manning decides to rise to Barkley's verbal spars in his southern drawl even once, it will already be worth watching.

But it should still be a decent ratings draw, coming on the Friday afternoon of Thanksgiving week. Nothing better than a fun golf match to help deal with the aftermath of the food consumption from the day prior. My money is on Curry and Manning to take it home, but Barkley will surprise people with his ability to get around despite that abomination he calls a golf swing.