The best that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has to offer will go head-to-head in a thrilling showdown, with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy facing Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau later this year
Rory McIlroy has been an outspoken opponent to LIV Golf (
Image: Getty Images)
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is set to team up with Rory McIlroy to face Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in an epic PGA Tour – LIV Golf showdown later this year.
The made-for-TV match will feature the two biggest stars on the PGA Tour in Scheffler and McIlroy, and their opponents are arguably the players with the highest profile on the Saudi-backed LIV circuit. The staging of the event perhaps represents improved relations between the rival tours.
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The showdown is set to air on TNT in December, and the event will take place in Las Vegas. TNT was the broadcast home for nine editions of The Match, the series of exhibitions that launched in 2018 with Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson and featured the likes of McIlroy, Koepka, and DeChambeau – but it is unclear if this will be under the banner of that series.
McIlroy confirmed his participation to Golfweek, saying: “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 energize the fans. We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.”
The four star players will reportedly not compete for prize money, although they are expected to receive an appearance fee. The announcement of the star-studded match comes amid tense negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – which bankrolls LIV – after the two entities signed a controversial framework agreement back in June 2023.
In a press conference at last week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta, commissioner Jay Monahan revealed negotiations are ongoing. He said: “At the same time, we’re moving forward at speed and focused on what we can control, because that’s what we owe to our fans.”
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Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka settled their rivalry in The Match back in 2021 ( Getty Images)
The Las Vegas contest features several of the best players in the world who share bitter rivalries and have dueled on the biggest stages. McIlroy and Koepka were tied at four major victories each until the American won a fifth at the 2023 PGA Championship, while the Northern Irishman lost out to DeChambeau in a captivating finish to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in June.
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The LIV Golf pair has an interesting history. Back in 2021, DeChambeau and Koepka took shots at one another in a very public social media feud, although they appear to have moved on and settled their differences since signing with LIV.
However, Scheffler will be the man to watch following his exceptional winning season. Early in the campaign, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players Championship, the Masters – his second win at Augusta – the RBC Heritage, the Memorial, and the Travelers.
Scheffler also added Olympic gold and the FedEx Cup to cap off a tremendously successful campaign. He only finished outside the top 10 in three of 19 PGA Tour events, and McIlroy will hope the American is at his best when they face DeChambeau and Koepka midway through the golf offseason.
