Adam Kramer brings you The Game Day’s The Match 2021 Prediction: Tom Brady/Phil Mickelson vs Aaron Rodgers/Bryson DeChambeau odds, analysis, and bet picks.
What felt like a one-time event back in 2018 has blossomed into a unique, wildly intriguing annual golf extravaganza that also happens to provide perfectly good wagering possibilities.
Lefty vs. The Mad Scientist. The GOAT QB vs. The (Almost) GOAT QB. Finesse vs. Power. The legends vs. the legends-in-the-making.
This particular installment of The Match is loaded with personality and possibility at a unique venue. It will take place on Tuesday, July 6th at the Moonlight Basin Golf Course in Big Sky, Montana. Please make sure to keep all your fingers intact over the holiday weekend to make betting sites and TV remotes easier to handle.
The Match 2021 Odds
- Bryson DeChambeau/Aaron Rodgers To Win (-175)
- Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady To Win (+140)
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The Match 2021 Format
The format for The Match makes for a competitive event, which is good for all of us.
All four players will tee off, with the professional golfers starting at different tee boxes. Each team will then decide which ball they want to play off (aka best ball). Once a shot is chosen, each team will alternate taking shots until the hole is complete.
Hole performance will be judged with match play rules, meaning a team can win, lose, or push. The team with the most holes won will win. In the instance of a tie, The Match will move into sudden death.
Match play certainly adds an element of curiosity to the betting. A bad hole is simply that. The totality of strokes for a given sequence won’t bury a pairing completely. This format is conducive to tighter matches and better TV, as any outcome seems possible and both teams could win.
In the 2021 edition of The Match, Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady will try to avenge their loss in The Match III from 2020. (Image: USA TODAY)
The Match 2021 Analysis
Let’s start with the personalities. While there will be actual hosts and course commentators to narrate the event, the emcee is and will always be Phil Mickelson for as long as he chooses to participate.
Lefty is simply spectacular at this. The coaching, the humor, the comfort in the setting — all of it. Since The Match began, Mickelson has proven himself capable of delivering a unique golf presentation and commanding the stage no matter who he shares it with.
It’s also worth noting that Mickelson and Tom Brady have done this before as a team, as the two played together against Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning last year. While they were unsuccessful, they nearly pulled off a tremendous comeback at the end.
That familiarity is invaluable in a scenario like this, especially for athletes who wouldn’t normally cross paths. While Aaron Rodgers and Bryson DeChambeau are clearly the more powerful team, I do wonder how they’ll mesh together.
Rodgers, of course, has played in plenty of pro-ams before. DeChambeau has won majors and should thrive in the Montana elevation (seriously, he might hit a golf ball seven miles). But we have also seen him come undone in certain moments, i.e. the most recent major.
So while the teams are very different, this event could really go either way.
The Match 2021 Prediction
In such a non-traditional event, comfort is key and familiarity is powerful. That is my strategy heading into this match. While Mickelson and Brady will likely be outdriven on all 18 holes, there is a certain magic and chemistry to the pairing that comes off as striking. It’s also not their first rodeo, which I love as well.
Accordingly, I’m thinking experience and camaraderie win out here. Rodgers and DeChambeau are notoriously prickly, which could result in awkward glares and tension if they don’t start well.
The Match 2021 Bet Pick
Phil Mickelson/Tom Brady To Win (+140)
It’s been a chaotic few months for both DeChambeau and Rodgers. One can’t stop squabbling with other golfers, and the other can’t stop squabbling with his own team.
The accuracy-driven games of Mickelson and Brady align well, which is why I’m taking the underdog to pull off a mild upset. While that is to be determined, I do know this: Mickelson will once again be the star of the show. Always and forever. Bet on it (if you can).
