The Showdown is here in what is the latest attempt from the best golfers in the world to modernise the sport amid ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi’s PIF, which bankrolls LIV Golf.
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will join forces to make a PGA Tour team, with LIV Golf stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka their opponents in this match.
The event is an evolution of ‘The Match’, which was launched by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in 2018.
Now four of the biggest stars in the game have joined forces to generate income separate from the traditional tours, while TGL, founded by Woods and McIlroy, is also set to launch in 2025 to further shape the future of the golf landscape.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Showdown:
When and where is The Showdown?
This one-off event takes place at Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas on Tuesday, 17 December. Tee times for the players are scheduled for 11pm GMT (6pm ET) to kick off the 18-hole event.
Is The Showdown on TV?
The event is not being shown on UK television, but there is a simulcast in the United States on TNT, TBS, truTV and Max’s B/R Sports Add-on.
What’s the format?
McIlroy and Scheffler take on Koepka and DeChambeau over 18 holes with three different forms of golf. The first six holes will be played as fourballs, also known as best ball, the middle third will be foursomes or alternate shot as one teammate tees off on odd-numbered holes and the other takes the even-numbered holes. The final six holes will consist of singles, though the exact combination has not been revealed. Each segment will be assigned a point value, with the team winning two of the three segments crowned champions. In golf’s matchplay format, the winner of each hole claims a point.
What’s the prize money?
The event pays out prize money in cryptocurrency through its sponsor Crypto.com, with Golf Monthly reporting the pot to be worth “at least $10 million (£7.9m)”.
The winning team will bank their prize money in CRO, the token of Crypto.com. The prize will be more than most PGA Tour events, though majors and signature events, as well as LIV Golf events, offer more over four and three-day tournaments. Scheffler earned $3.6m (£2.8m) for winning this year’s Masters at Augusta National.
Reports suggest each player will also receive an appearance fee.
What are McIlroy, Scheffler, DeChambeau and Koepka’s form?
Scheffler, the world’s No. 1-ranked player, has enjoyed an incredible year, claiming seven times on the PGA Tour, including The Masters, and winning the end-of-season FedExCup, in addition to Olympic gold in Paris. The American’s sensational form carried over to team golf with Team USA triumphant in the Presidents Cup win and his dominance extended to defending his Hero World Challenge title earlier this month.
McIlroy has also had a successful 2024, with four worldwide wins. Most recently he has shone during the DP World Tour’s Middle East swing, winning the DP World Tour Championship and the season-long Race to Dubai title for a sixth time at the end of November.
McIlroy’s major drought, extending back to 2014, continues though, with his runner-up finish to DeChambeau at the US Open especially painful.
DeChambeau, meanwhile, enjoyed one of the best years of his career, claiming a second career major on Course No. 2 at Pinehurst and jumping back inside the world’s top 10. DeChambeau’s Crushers GC topped the regular-season team standings but failed to defend their crown at the team championship, eventually finishing in a tie for seventh.
Koepka was fifth on LIV’s individual points list this year, claiming wins at LIV Golf Singapore and Greenbrier, though his Smash side finished a disappointing 13th overall at the team championship.
What’s been said about the event?
Koepka: “I think this is a great showcase for bringing the two tours a bit together and I think we’re going to do [more] next year.
“All of us can align and bring something bigger and better so we can have a couple more times where we can see most of the best players from both sides competing, more against each other.
“I can promise you on the other side [PGA Tour players], they’re not sitting there wanting to lose. Rory doesn’t, Scottie doesn’t want to lose to us and there’s no chance [we want to lose], we’re too competitive on our side.
“We don’t want to lose. This isn’t anything other than just us being competitive and wanting to beat those guys, and show them who the best players in golf are.
“I truly think you’ve got the biggest figure in golf in Bryson and then one of the [golfers with the] most majors. We’ve got a lot going on our side. We want to beat them, we want to showcase the world we’re the top two dogs.”
McIlroy: “I’m thrilled to partner with Scottie in what promises to be an exciting duel against Bryson and Brooks in Vegas this December.
“This isn’t just a contest between some of golf’s major champions; it’s an event designed to energise the fans.
“We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.
“We all want to see more of the best golfers in the world going head-to-head, battling it out on the back nine of a tournament.
“At a time where the professional game has felt divided, we believe this event can bring fans an incredible day of entertainment.”