For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the entire NFL, and fans everywhere, most of the month of July is truly the dog days of summer. This tends to be a time of relaxation, vacations, weddings and other hobbies not related to football. As players prepare themselves for the intensity that awaits them the final week of the month in training camp, they use this down time to get their bodies right for another season of football.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett celebrates at his wedding with wife, Amy.
Aside from football, golf’s popularity in America has drastically increased. Not only has an entirely new league been born out of that popularity, but other amateur-centric tournaments have become popular as well. However, those amateur tournaments don’t feature typical average pedestrian golfers. They spotlight professional athletes showing off their ball-striking and putting skills on national television.
The Steelers Breed Amateur Golfers
Every year, the Professional Golf Association (PGA) hosts the American Century Championship, which is a professional-amateur tournament at the Edgewood Resort in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. In 2023, it is being held from July 12th to the 16th. This golf spectacle brings marquee athletes, actors and golfers together while also drawing a variety of spectators with them. The Steelers have had their fair share of participants in the tournament including Ben Roethlisberger, Jerome Bettis and Patrick Peterson. But, in addition to this annual tournament, there is another that is starting to become larger.
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Jerome Bettis and Ben Roethlisberger celebrate during a charity golf tournament in 2022.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, The Match has taken the other sports’ offseasons by storm. What began as a television event for Americans to watch when no other sports were active, has blossomed into a more regular occurrence. Earlier this offseason, the eighth edition of The Match included the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce squaring off against the NBA’s Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in Las Vegas, Nevada. The match was won by Mahomes and Kelce.
Like the fans, Peterson was watching the golf match from his sofa. Being a golfer when he is off the football field, he thinks he could bring a new spin on the competition. On Twitter, Peterson called out some specific players he wanted to play against while it was being played. On the All Things Covered podcast with former-Steeler, Bryant McFadden, Peterson expanded on his proposal to taking The Match to the next level.
“We don’t want to see the same concept of two guys, two teams, going head-to-head. They need to involve something more of a bigger team element, like a ten-man team, eight-man team, and still have those big-name guys the fans want to see, and make it a bigger event,” Peterson proposed. “I feel like they can do so much more with that because they are so many more athletes who love to play golf that would love a to showcase their talents as well [on] a big stage,” Peterson continued. “I want to be on The Match one day. I know I’m a competitive golfer and I know I can beat those guys who played in the last match for sure.”
Seeing as though The Match is typically built around a pair of golfers, as opposed to individuals, Peterson already has a partner in mind. Although there are golfers on the current Steelers’ roster, Peterson has an old teammate in mind as his running mate waiting on standby.
“My partner… [Minnesota Vikings'] Harrison ‘The Hitman’ Smith,” he declared. “[Smith and I] can take on any two. It can be any two NFL players,” Peterson proclaimed. “I want all of the smoke, man.”
Now that Peterson has his optimal partner, he went on to call out the reigning champions in Mahomes and Kelce by proposing a match where the loser donates to the winner’s charity of their choice. Peterson is convinced that he and Smith can beat any two non-professional golfers in a head-to-head style match-play golf tournament.
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Steelers' Patrick Peterson playing in a golf tournament.
Looking ahead to the tournament this month, each of those players - Peterson, Smith, Mahomes, and Kelce - are all slated to participate. Peterson threw out something to watch for the fans at home. In fact, it could be a clear sign of things to come in the future.
“All of us are playing in the American Century this week. Me, Kelce, Pat Mahomes and Harrison Smith. Let’s see who has the best score out of those three days.”
Peterson has made a name for himself in the golfing world as becoming an impressive crossover athlete. He’s been able to work on his game and get himself to a single-digit handicap and participates regularly in golf tournaments outside of the July event. If we do see a Mahomes-Kelce versus Peterson-Smith matchup, you can expect some exciting golf coming out of those four players.
If you ask me, I’d be putting my money on Peterson. But with that said, it would be fun for Steelers fans to watch a match of Roethlisberger and Bettis against Peterson. That is something that would captivate all of Pittsburgh.
Did you watch The Match? Who do you think would win in that scenario? Let us know in the comments below!
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