Mahomes, Kelce Win Capital One’s ‘The Match 8’ vs. Steph, Klay

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for The Match

Bragging rights belong to the NFL.

Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce defeated Golden State Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in Capital One’s “The Match 8” on Thursday at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.

Mahomes and Kelce were in control throughout and lost just one hole before clinching it on the 10th.

The pairs competed in a 12-hole scramble format with each player teeing off and then going with the team’s best ball for the ensuing shots. The outcome was determined by the number of holes won instead of stroke play.

While Mahomes and Kelce earned the win, it wasn’t just about the golf. The Match raised money for the No Kid Hungry campaign, which is driven to end childhood hunger in the United States.

In addition to the overall charitable endeavors, the players competed in contests such as closest to the hole on par-threes to raise even more money for the foundation.

Curry is known for his golf skill and has participated in a number of pro-am tournaments, which made it seem like the Warriors were favorites. That didn’t change when his drive on the second hole ended up on the fairway while the others sprayed their shots in the gallery, trees and a bunker.

However, the momentum quickly flipped when Mahomes and Kelce each had incredible chips to win the hole.

Kansas City carried the momentum from there with another brilliant chip from Mahomes on the third hole and a clutch putt from the quarterback on the fourth. The football players were suddenly up three through the opening four holes, which put the Warriors in comeback mode.

By the time Curry and Thompson missed short putts to lose the sixth hole and fall behind by four, it was all but over.

At least they had some trash talk on their side, courtesy of Draymond Green:

Joe Burrow was nowhere to be found, but Kansas City did miss a chance to close it out when both players three-putt on the ninth green when two putts would have won it.

There was still never a doubt, though, and Kelce’s putt on the 10th ended it.

This was some redemption for Mahomes, who paired with Josh Allen and lost to Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in last summer’s edition of The Match. Yet this was another loss for Curry, who fell to Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley when he was teammates with Peyton Manning in 2020.

At least the Splash Brothers have their four championships in basketball to fall back on because they were outmatched on the golf course Thursday.