The fourth edition of The Match ended in another loss for the team of Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady as the duo of Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers convincingly won 3&2 on Tuesday evening in Big Sky, Montana. The Match 4, a head-to-head match play charity golf event, featured plenty of golf, a bit of trash talk and incredible views of The Reserve at Moonlight Basin.
The front nine didn't foreshadow an eventual early exit for Mickelson and Brady as the match was all square with the pairs making the turn. However, DeChambeau and Rodgers built a lead in style on the back nine en route to their eventual win as Rodgers caught fire with his putter, draining birdies on 10, 11 and 12 to go 3-up in a flurry.
Mickelson and Brady got one back at the 15th after DeChambeau and Rodgers found trouble in the woods. In fitting fashion, though, it was Rodgers who came up clutch in a big spot. After using DeChambeau's approach at the par-3 16th, Rodgers grabbed his putter and sunk the match-winning 10-foot birdie after Brady's attempt from twice the distance missed.
"I haven't been playing a lot of golf; I'm just a pretty good putter," Rodgers said after the round.
"I was glad I was able to get my partner up on the greens, and he was making everything today," added DeChambeau.
Mickelson and Brady went 1-up at the fourth and again at the seventh but could not muster any additional magic. DeChambeau's 480-yard drive on the 777-yard par-5 eighth set his team up to even the match before the floodgates opened on the back nine. That drive broke DeChambeau's career long, according to the golfer, though Bryson wasn't satisfied given the elevation created an opportunity to go past 500 yards.
"That was disappointing for me," he said. "I thought I had it, dude. That was super close to being 550 pretty easily."
The match play event had light moments sprinkled throughout it, as well. Rob Gronkowski called in to speak with his quarterback, Brady, and take some shots at Rodgers. A bear made an appearance on one hole before ducking out of picture. So did a moose and several goats. Rodgers also dodged questions about his future with the Packers. And throughout the round, there was trash talk from every angle, including a friendly-fire as the day started that served as a precursor for how the winners approached the day -- and how they eventually won it.
"Bryson, he's a maniac, man," said Rodgers. "The things he thinks about and talks about is a tad bit overwhelming at times. But I just humor him because he's my partner today."
Mickelson fell to 2-2 all-time in The Match with an 0-2 record when paired with Brady, who apologized to Lefty for letting him down after the round. The duo previously lost to Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning in May 2020.
"I feel like I'm the unfortunate variable to winning and losing with Phil," Brady said.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mickelson & Brady | Tied | 1UP | 1UP | 1UP | Tied | ||||
DeChambeau & Rodgers | 1UP | 1UP | Tied | Tied | Tied | ||||
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | |
Mickelson & Brady | Win | ||||||||
DeChambeau & Rodgers | 1UP | 2UP | 3UP | 3UP | 3UP | 2UP | 3UP |