Mark Wahlberg details the 'perfect' time to play 18 holes of golf ahead of The Match

Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg, an avid golfer, recently detailed the "perfect" time to play 18 holes of golf. He is one of the eight celebrities competing in the 10th edition of "The Match." The event is scheduled for Thursday, November 21, and Friday, November 22, 2024.

The Match: Superstars will be broadcast on TNT and HBO Max. Speaking to Golf Digest on Tuesday, November 19, Wahlberg discussed his ideal golfing scenario and the "perfect" time to play 18 holes of golf.

"In a perfect world I'm first off and I don't see too many people except for the people I'm playing with. I've played in just over an hour with a fast cart at Riviera and I also you know, averaged two hours, two and a half hours is perfect," he said (at 0:37).

The 53-year-old said anything longer than two hours makes it harder for him to focus as he receives work-related calls and important tasks.

Wahlberg also talked about valuable advice on learning the game "from the green back" he wished he'd followed earlier:

"Putt, chip, hit approach shots, then work your way back, and you'll save 10 years of misery."

Further, he talked about his pre-round routine. He said:

"I've got to kind of do a little band stuff just to kind of fire up the little twitch muscles and stuff like that. Try to open up my hips a little bit and then I'll try to hit 10 like 50 degree wedges, six pitching wedges, six, nine, eight, maybe a six, sevens, a couple sevens, maybe three sevens, three fives, three threes and like six or seven drives, roll a couple putts and I'm ready to go."

Mark Wahlberg has played in several Pro-Am tournaments on the PGA Tour. He competed in the 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open Pro-Am, and 2022 Sony Open Pro-Am. Last year, he organized two celebrity golf invitationals to raise money for noble causes.

---

Who will compete at The Match and what is the format of the event?

Eight celebrities will compete in the 10th edition of The Match on November 21 and 22, 2024, at Breakers West Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The eight celebrities to compete at The Match: Superstars are:

• Bill Murray: Actor and comedian
• Mark Wahlberg: Actor and producer
• Charles Barkley: NBA Hall of Famer and sports analyst
• Wayne Gretzky: NHL legend
• Michael Phelps: Olympic swimmer
• Nate Bargatze: Comedian
• Ken Griffey Jr.: MLB Hall of Famer
• Blake Griffin: NBA player

The event will begin with two quarterfinal scramble matches. The teams and opponents for the quarterfinal matches are:

• Bill Murray/Wayne Gretzky vs. Charles Barkley/Ken Griffey Jr.
• Mark Wahlberg/Michael Phelps vs. Nate Bargatze/Blake Griffin

The two quarterfinal matches will be followed by the semifinal where the winning teammates will face each other. The final will be a 1-on-1 matchup and the winner of 2024 The Match will take home $1 million.