The Match is back for a ninth time. While the event has become a fun staple on the sports calendar, this iteration features a major change. For the first time, women will be among the competitors.
Rory McIlroy will be joined by Lexi Thompson in West Palm Beach, while Max Homa is teaming up with Rhose Zhang in the live event set for Monday night under the lights.
McIlroy is making his second appearance in The Match. He participated in 2022, when he and Tiger Woods lost to Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas on Florida's gulf coast. McIlroy will hope for better results on the other coast, while Homa and Zhang will look to earn a win in their Match debuts.
Here's what you need to know about the money on the line in the ninth edition of The Match.
LIVE: Follow The Match updates and results
The Match purse: How much money will be donated to charity?
It isn't yet clear how much money will be donated to charity, but event sponsor Capital One did reveal where the money will be going. This edition of The Match benefits First Tee, a youth organization that aims to make golf affordable and accessible for all children.
The Match has raised more than $38 million for charity over its eight iterations, with different charities and initiatives benefitting each time.
The Match hasn't publicized its purse for individual events in recent years, but $38 million over eight iterations means each event raises an average of $4.75 million. That's as close of an indication as viewers might get regarding how much First Tee will benefit from the contest.
How much will The Match winner make?
One consistent element of The Match is that charities, not the golfers themselves, earn money from the event.
While Tiger Woods received a nice payday for his victory over Phil Mickelson in the first edition of The Match, the event has been charity-focused ever since. Thus, the winners are only set to walk away with bragging rights on Monday night.
With this edition of The Match taking place in late February, it could also be a nice opportunity for McIlroy and others to continue to round into form as the season gets underway. McIlroy came particularly close to snapping his major drought in 2023, so he has massive goals in mind for 2024. Golf can be a game of momentum, and The Match presents a terrific opportunity to get that winning feeling back.
MORE: Rory McIlroy's majors timeline
Rory McIlroy net worth
McIlroy has an estimated net worth of $170 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
While major wins have evaded McIlroy over much of the past decade, he's still made plenty of money between strong finishes and endorsement deals. McIlroy has made more than $140 million in earnings alone from his golf career, including more than $60 million since 2022.
Lexi Thompson net worth
Forbes estimates Thompson's net worth as about $5.9 million. She had nearly $14 million in career earnings by the end of 2022 as one of the most prominent figures in women's golf, and a handful of endorsement deals have also been a source of earnings for Thompson.
Max Homa net worth
Homa's net worth hovers around $4-5 million, according to Golf Monthly. His career earnings exceed $34 million, including a career-high $14 million in 2023.
Rose Zhang net worth
Zhang is still just 20 and in the infancy of her career, so her net worth is more difficult to gauge. She earned $1.39 million on the LPGA Tour in 2023, a successful first full season that included her first career win in June.