Patrick Mahomes did prep work for The Match VI
QB leaned on pro golfer who averaged 320 yards
You know Patrick Mahomes for his supreme athleticism on the gridiron, one that combines the ability to maneuver in and out of trouble with arm angles that give defenses fits.
The former Texas Tech star is hoping to use some of the same principles in today’s made-for-TV sporting event, and he’s counted on a fellow Texan to offer some guidance.
The Kansas City Chiefs star is pairing up with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in The Match on TNT (6:30 p.m. ET) at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.
With the same intensity that he trains for a National Football League season, Mahomes worked hard on his golf game in advance of the big matchup with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
And he has been leaning on former PGA Tour player and 1998 U.S. Amateur champ Hank Kuehne for mentoring along the way.
Mahomes has been playing golf with Kuehne and his brother (three-time Walker Cupper Trip Kuehne) for some time now and the pro quarterback previously used a few of the siblings’ pointers while preparing for the American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament played in Lake Tahoe.
With this year’s Match VI event nearing, he went back to the brothers for more help.
“I always would play with them and they kind of just give me some tips,” Mahomes said last week. “And so going into Tahoe last year, they gave me a few tips on putting and it helped me out a lot.
“And so we went out and they helped me out with my driver because if you’ve seen me in Tahoe before – I only use 3 wood, I never used the driver and this offseason is the first time I’ve been consistently using my driver well.”
Not a bad move for Mahomes to ask Kuehne for tips on how to use his driver. In 2003, the former three-time AllAmerican at Southern Methodist University became the first PGA Tour player to average over 320 yards in driving distance.
Rodgers and Brady have more experience in this setting – each has been part of a previous installment of The Match – but the smack talk is already in full swing between the two sides as they prepare for the event.
For example, when asked if Brady would have much to say, Allen insisted his reservoir of material would run dry.
“I think once Tom’s script from his team runs out of jokes, I don’t think he’s gonna be able to really think on his feet,” Allen said with a smile. ”I feel like I’ve got a lot of practice and just kind of wit and off-the-cuff stuff.
“I think Aaron’s a little better in that aspect. But yeah, Tom’s gonna have a little note card out there and he’s gonna run out eventually and I don’t think he’s gonna know what to do.”