LPGA standout Lexi Thompson and rising star Rose Zhang will join PGA heavyweights Rory McIlroy and Max Homa in next month’s rendition of “The Match,” it was announced Tuesday.
Thompson and Zhang are the first women to play in the made-for-television event.
McIlroy will make his second appearance in the exhibition, having done so with teammate Tiger Woods in a 3 and 2 loss to Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in December 2022. Homa will be competing in his first such event.
Thompson, Zhang, McIlroy and Homa will square off in a 12-hole skins match at “The Park” golf course on Feb. 26 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Each hole is worth a specific amount of money for charity.
The PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players will hit from the same tee boxes on the four par-3 holes. The men and women will use different tee boxes for the remaining holes.
The golfer who raises the most money at the conclusion of the event will be declared the winner.
Zhang, 20, won her LPGA debut at the Mizuho Americas Cup, just two weeks after capturing consecutive individual NCAA titles at Stanford.
“I’m so excited to play in The Match,” Zhang told Sports Illustrated. “I’ve enjoyed watching this franchise over the years. They’ve had so many great celebrities and golfers and it’s always entertaining with Charles Barkley on the mic. I’m honored to tee it up alongside Rory, Max and Lexi and know we’ll have a blast raising money to help make the game more accessible for all.”
Thompson, 28, is an 11-time LPGA Tour winner — including the victor of the 2014 Chevron Championship. She also became the seventh woman to compete on the PGA Tour when she narrowly missed the cut at the Shriner’s Children’s Open in October.
McIlroy, 34, is a four-time major champion (2012 and 2014 PGA Championship, 2011 U.S. Open, 2014 Open Championship).
Homa, 33, is a six-time PGA Tour winner and a member of the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup team.