Rory McIlroy and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler earned PGA Tour team wins over LIV golf stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in the first edition of ‘The Showdown.’
This event marks the first time that PGA Tour players have competed against LIV golfers outside of the majors and the Olympics, with DeChambeau and Koepka ineligible to play on the PGA Tour since joining the Saudi-backed circuit. In 2022.
Scheffler and McIlroy never trailed and needed just 14 holes to win at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas.
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Take a look back at the best of Rory McIlroy’s four wins around the world in 2024: the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Wells Fargo Championship, and DP World Tour Championship.
With a total of 4 points available (2 in singles play), 2 1/2 points were needed for victory and the final McIlroy/DeChambeau match did not go all the way as the much sharper PGA Tour duo claimed victory in dominant fashion. It wasn’t.
The format was one point for a six-hole four-ball match, one point for a six-hole foursomes match, and one point each for the last six holes of singles.
McIlroy came out and hit the shot of the game with a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fourth hole, and DeChambeau was already in double figures. But DeChambeau missed his eagle attempt, and the PGA Tour team was cruising to victory in four holes.
“It was big for our team to have Rory get off to a good start,” Scheffler said.
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Watch the final round story of Scottie Scheffler, who earned his second green jacket at Augusta National with a 4-under 68, his second Masters win in three years.
The foursome was tight and the match looked like it would end in a tie, but DeChambeau sent a long birdie putt from about 10 feet on the final hole and Koepka missed his attempt for a three-putt bogey to leave the PGA Tour. I needed points.
Scheffler and McIlroy never trailed in singles, and the match ended on the 16th hole without viewers getting a chance to see Shadow Creek’s signature par-3 17th hole.
Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka shake hands and exchange high-fives with winning Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy on the 16th green at Shadow Creek Golf Course.
What it proved was nothing more than the rich getting richer. Scheffler and McIlroy each won $5 million in cryptocurrency, adding to Scheffler’s incredible year with just over $62 million. Scheffler and McIlroy each earned a win. Scheffler won in the Bahamas two weeks ago and McIlroy won the European Tour finale in Dubai last month.
Neither DeChambeau nor Koepka have played since LIV Golf concluded its season on September 22.
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Bryson DeChambeau made an incredible hole-in-one at his home after his 134th attempt in 16 days!
“I’d like to have another opportunity,” DeChambeau said. “It was a bit of a pillow fight for us.”
Could this help you close a PGA Tour/LIV deal?
As the rift between the dueling tours melts, there is belief that the rivalry in the Nevada desert could eventually be a precursor to a full-fledged Ryder Cup-style match between the two tours that will run throughout the weekend.
“Ideally, I think the end goal here is to bring the game of golf back together,” Scheffler said ahead of an unprecedented crossover clash between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
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Scheffler said he is not at all frustrated by the lack of progress on a deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
In August, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said he was encouraged by “enhanced” negotiations with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, but cautioned that no deadline has yet been set for an agreement.
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF (financiers of the separate LIV golf league) signed a framework agreement in June 2023 to combine each tour and attract more than $1 billion in Saudi investment into the game of golf.
Nearly a year after the original Dec. 31 deadline, the PGA Tour and PIF are still negotiating over the proposed contract, and Monahan could not set a date for when those negotiations might conclude.
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Rory McIlroy believes President-elect Donald Trump can help broker a deal to merge the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
And the lack of a timeline for a potential resolution seems to have led players to take action and set things up like The Showdown.
“It was important for us to take this into our own hands a little bit and do something outside of both tours to not only give back to the fans but also show them or at least let them know that we’re trying,” McIlroy said. .
“The players want to play together more often. I think we’re all stuck in this holding pattern because of the negotiations and deals, and that’s not good for anyone.”
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