Golf’s biggest stars from rival tours are finally facing off in a must-watch match that could signal the start of something bigger for the divided sport.
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will take on Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka next Tuesday at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. It’s a rare chance to see top players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf compete head-to-head outside of major championships.
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Rory McIlroy
257
125
$90,989,348
“We’re trying to bring these players together, and the more opportunities we can get to do that, the better,” McIlroy said during a media call for the event, dubbed “The Crypto.com Showdown.”
The match will air on TNT, giving fans a glimpse of what they’ve been missing since LIV Golf split the professional game.
McIlroy, who’s softened his stance on LIV Golf players recently, admits the event highlights the sport’s current divide. But he sees it as a positive first step.
“At least we’re making the effort to try to bring the best together more often,” he said. “If we can start by doing something like this, that’s only a good thing.”
The idea came together in January when producer Bryan Zuriff approached McIlroy in Dubai. That timing coincided with McIlroy becoming less critical of players who left for the Saudi-funded LIV Golf league.
Koepka expects the match to have a Ryder Cup feel to it. DeChambeau hinted at even bigger events coming next year.
There’s more happening behind the scenes too. McIlroy sits on the committee negotiating with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – LIV Golf’s financial backer – about potentially investing in the PGA Tour.
“We’d like to see everybody back together,” Scheffler said. “There’s been so much talk about LIV versus the PGA Tour, all this talk about money. We want to get back to the competition.”
The PGA Tour had to approve McIlroy and Scheffler’s participation, which took some convincing.
“It took a few conversations to get them to the point where they saw this could be a good thing in the long run,” McIlroy explained.
For now, it’s just one exhibition match. But it might be the first step toward bringing golf’s divided houses back together.
