Capital One's 'The Match 9': Explaining Rules for McIlroy, Homa, Thompson and Zhang

Golf fans who have enjoyed the unique formats and presentation of Capital One's The Match will be in for a treat this Monday. The event is back for its ninth iteration, which will feature a first for the series.

For the first time, The Match will feature both male and female golfers, competing in a mixed skins format. Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang will tee off on Monday evening in a competition to see who can raise the most money for charity.

This year's spotlight charity will be the First Tee, an organization that uses golf to empower children. The event will take place at The Park, a municipal-affiliated course in West Palm Beach, Florida that is tied to a community organization called The Path.

According to Drew Powell of Golf Digest, every child associated with The Path will receive free admission to The Match 9.

It should make for a different and fun atmosphere on top of The Match's already novel broadcast format. Monday's broadcast team will feature Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley of Inside the NBA, along with 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman, Kathryn Tappen, NHL on TNT personality Paul Bissonnette, former LPGA golfer Christina Kim and celebrity music producer DJ Khaled.

As for the competition itself, here's what you need to know.

The Match 9

Who: Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang

When: Monday, February, 26

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: The Park in West Palm Beach

Format: 12-Hole Skins Game

TV and Live Stream: TNT, truTV and HLN, B/R Sports Add-On on Max

While recent editions of The Match have focused on team play—The Match 8 pitted Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce against Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry—this will be an individual event.

It'll be a 12-hole skins game, with each hole being worth a set dollar amount for charity. Past editions of The Match have also featured on-course challenges, and they should be part of The Match 9 as well.

The golfer who wins the most charity money after 12 holes will be declared the winner.

The Match 9 will also spotlight PGA and LPGA stars—and these are some of the biggest in the sport. McIlroy is a four-time Major winner and 24-time PGA winner, while Thompson has won 11 LPGA events. Homa has won six PGA events, while Zhang won her debut LPGA tournament, the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open, at age 20.

It will be a level playing field for all four competitors, as they'll use the same tees for the four par-3 holes on the course, while the other eight holes will have different tees and yardages for the men and women.

For casual golf fans less familiar with the LPGA game, The Match 9 will serve as an incredible introduction.

"I just feel like the exposure for the women is long overdue and something I feel like people would be really interested in," Homa said, per Cameron Jourdan of Golfweek. "... I just feel like the more eyeballs on it, the more the fans of golf will get to just see more golf."

The presentation will be dramatically different than that of a traditional golf tournament too. Golfers will wear microphones and be followed closely by cameras throughout the competition, providing viewers with a glimpse into their routines, strategies and interactions.

The event will also be played in the evening and under the lights. According to McIlroy—who previously played under the lights in The Match 7—that can add a few challenges to the game.

"The ball reacts differently on the greens," <cIlroy said, per Jourdan. "It's after dusk, so the greens start to get like a little bit of dew on them and the ball starts to skid and that wasn't really something that I was expecting."

What fans can expect on Monday is an entertaining and exciting evening of golf action.