NFL vs. NBA is this year’s Match, and punters have an interesting contest to get their teeth into.

Representing the Kansas City Chiefs are star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes and tight end, Travis Kelce. They have been on the Super Bowl winning team on two occasions in the last four seasons.

The betting favorites for the contest are the NBA teammates, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who have won the NBA Championship on four occasions for the Golden State Warriors.

The Match Golf Pick

• Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce to beat Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson (+200) at Bet365

Current Betting Odds

• Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson (-275) at Bet365
• Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce (+200) at Bet365

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The Match 2023

Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce vs. Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson

Thursday, June 29, 2023 at Wynn Las Vegas Golf Course

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How Good Are the NFL and NBA Stars at Golf?

Patrick Mahomes – Handicap 7.7

The young quarterback star of the NFL is an extremely accomplished golfer who has admitted to planning much of his off-season around his many golf trips. Last year, he partnered with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the Match and lost on the final hole to the more experienced NFL quarterback partnership of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

That experience could be crucial, and suspiciously, Mahomes’ handicap is the same as twelve months ago when I covered the contest, so he could easily be a ringer this year.

Travis Kelce – Handicap 11

Travis Kelce has been a keen golfer for a while now and his handicap mark is a very respectable 11. In an interview a couple of years ago, the thirty-three-year-old from Ohio confessed to modeling his golf game on the great Tiger Woods

Stephen Curry – Handicap +1

Stephen Curry is by far and away the most accomplished golfer of the talented quartet, with a handicap of +1. For most of us, a handicap of +1 is something we can only dream about and is enough for a thirty-five-year-old from Ohio to consider entering golf competitions such as the US Open. Indeed, Curry competed in the 2017 and 2018 Ellie Mae Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour but missed the cut comfortably on both occasions.

Curry competed in the contest back in 2020 when partnering with NFL quarterback Peyton Manning to a loss against Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley, and that experience can only be a positive for the NBA’s duos chances

Klay Thompson – Handicap 15

Thirty-three-year-old Klay Thompson is regarded as one of the NBAs best three-point shooters. The two are good friends and both seem confident that Thompson will outplay his 15-handicap, which suggests he is the poorest player of the foursome.

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Will the NFL Stars Be Rounders in This Year’s the Match?

Watching the lead-up to this year’s The Match, I get the distinct impression that Mahomes has protected his handicap in the last twelve months and if he has, the potential to be the handicap blot of the foursome.

We do have to respect Klay Thompson, who appears to have spent a lot of time on the golf course with his buddy, Curry. If he is better than his handicap, he probably has the biggest scope of the four, but he will need to, as Curry’s handicap of +1 is super prohibitive of their chances and leaves no room to maneuver.

Final Thoughts and Selection

Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs boys can beat the Golden State Warriors duo as underdogs in this year’s The Match.

With the limited information we have available to add up, I think we can expect Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to play better than their handicap.

There is a chance, that Klay Thompson could also, but he is the least accomplished golfer of the quartet, which will make him more susceptible to the pressure a box office golf match made for television will bring.

Golf Pick: Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce to beat Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson (+200) at Bet365

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