The Match on TNT: West Palm's sparkling new golf course gets the national spotlight tonight

West Palm Beach's sparkling new golf course will get plenty of national publicity tonight when NBA legend Charles Barkley, his NBA broadcast partner Ernie Johnson and the TNT crew come to town for the latest installment of The Match.

The rest of the country will get to see what Palm Beach County already knows — if you want to play golf in the cold winter months of December, January and February, this is the place to be.

The Match is a made-for-TV charity event that started Thanksgiving weekend 2018 between pro golfers Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Since then, there've been eight versions, often featuring NFL players matched with and against professional golfers.

This year, it's all professional golfers, but it will be the first time involving men and women.

Rory McIlroy — a resident of nearby Jupiter and the world No. 2 — and world No. 8 Max Homa will be joined by Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang.

Thompson, a Delray Beach resident, is an 11-time LPGA Tour winner who nearly made the cut at the PGA Tour's Shriners Children's Open in October. Zhang, 20, won back-to-back NCAA championships at Stanford and won her pro debut in June. Homa and Zhang both live in California.

The Match on TNT: Only 10 months old, West Palm's The Park will get huge publicity

What's also notable about this year's event is that it will be prime time, taking place at The Park, which debuted only 10 months ago in West Palm Beach.

West Palm Beach's former municipal golf course was reborn into a redesigned, 192-acre facility that features state-of-the-art technology, a hilly 18-hole course, a nine-hole short course, putting greens, a driving range, clubhouse, restaurant and training facilities.

The Park was the culmination of a multiple-year effort that saw hopes for the facility, located at 7301 Georgia Ave., rise, fall and rise once again.

The new course is on the site of the former Dick Wilson-designed West Palm Beach Golf Course, which opened in 1947 and had been considered one of the best and most affordable municipal courses in the country. Following a redesign that went awry, the course deteriorated and interest waned. It closed in 2018.

But five years later, The Park is one of the city's crown jewels that has been drawing tourists and golf enthusiasts across the country. Numerous publications have ranked The Park among the best public courses in Florida, on par with Seamstrong and TPC Sawgrass.

The Match on TNT: TV information and what to watch for

Tonight's event will feature a 12-hole mixed skins match. All four participants will use the same tees on the par-3s and varying tee boxes for the other eight holes.

Night golf will allow TNT Sports to showcase several innovations so fans can see the action, including all four players mic'd up and interacting with the broadcast teams.

Each hole will be worth a specified amount for charity with whoever raising the most money declared the winner.

How to watch The Match 2024 on TNT

• Time: Monday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. pre-match. 7 p.m. match begins.

• TV: TNT (Channel 245 on DirecTV, Channel 138 on Dish), TBS (247 on DirecTV, 139 on Dish), HLN (204 on DirecTV, 202 on Dish)

• Streaming: Max ($9.99 per month), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial), Sling TV ($20 per month for new subscribers)

• Commentators: Charles Barkley, who participated in one Match event, will be back for his eighth time as color commentator, joining Ernie Johnson. Additionally, coverage will include 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman, on-course reporter Kathryn Tappen and Christina Kimwill, a three-time LPGA winner. DJ Khaled and NHL on TNT personality Paul Bissonnette will also provide commentary.

The Match: A look at the past results of golf competition

• Nov. 23, 2018, Shadow Creek Golf Course, North Las Vegas, Nevada: Phil Mickelson def. Tiger Woods, 22 holes.

• May 24, 2020, Medalist Golf Club, Hobe Sound: Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning def. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady, 1 up.

• Nov. 27, 2020, Stone Canyon GC, Oro Valley, Ariz.: Phil Mickelson and Charles Barkley def. Stephen Curry and Peyton Manning, 4 and 3.

• July 6, 2021, The Reserve at Moonlight Basin, Big Sky, Montana: Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers def. Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady, 3 and 2.

• Nov. 26, 2021, Wynn Golf Club, Paradise, Nevada: Brooks Koepka def. Bryson DeChambeau, 5 and 3.

• June 1, 2022, Wynn Golf Club, Paradise, Nevada: Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers def. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, 1 up.

• Dec. 10, 2022, Pelican Golf Club, Belleair, Fla.: Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas def. Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods 3 and 2.

• June 29, 2023, Wynn Golf Club, Paradise, Nevada: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce def. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, 3 and 2.

James Coleman is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: The Match on TNT: West Palm's The Park golf course gets TV spotlight