Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have been unknowingly preparing for the Optum Golf Channel Games their entire careers.
Both stars developed their skills through unconventional practice methods. McIlroy spent countless solo rounds at Holywood Golf Club in Northern Ireland playing two balls and hitting each subsequent shot from the worst position – a challenge where he still remembers shooting 3 or 4 under par.
“That’s something I still use to this day,” McIlroy says.
Scheffler’s competitive edge developed alongside PGA Tour pros at Royal Oaks in Dallas, where he constantly initiated impromptu contests.
“You name it, I mean, chipping contests, nine-hole putting contests, 18-hole putting contests, trying to hit the yellow pole,” Scheffler said, referring to the target poles on Royal Oaks’ driving range. “… They showed up on the range, and if I was there, they knew something was gonna happen.”
Next week in South Florida, something will happen. Producer Mark Loomis describes it as “an All-Star weekend but with golfers” – blending elements from Drive, Chip and Putt, Golf Channel’s Big Break, and adding a shot clock with eight top professionals.
“How do we do some stuff that people maybe haven’t seen before?” That’s the question Loomis and his team set out to answer.
The result: The Golf Channel Games.
This first-of-its-kind competition features four-man teams captained by Scheffler and McIlroy, currently the world’s top two players, on December 17 starting at 7 p.m. ET at Trump Jupiter. Golf Channel and USA Network will broadcast the event live, with TrackMan, drone tracing and extensive camera coverage. The competition will utilize the club’s driving range, practice area, and holes 1, 9 and 18.
The format includes timed driving and short-game competitions, a 14-club challenge, team relay, and a captain’s challenge – the only segment not featuring all eight competitors. McIlroy and Scheffler will determine matchups through a coin flip system for each challenge.
McIlroy’s team includes Shane Lowry, Luke Donald and Haotong Li, while Scheffler will compete alongside Sam Burns, Keegan Bradley and Luke Clanton.
“Scottie and I have been a part of some of these [made-for-TV] matches before, and you know, they’re great and hopefully they’ve provided some entertainment, but I just think this is an opportunity to do something different,” McIlroy said. “Sort of lean into other sports in a way, like the NFL Combine, or the 3-Point Contest in basketball, or the Home Run Derby in baseball. It’s just a chance to try something new, try something different. And I think we’ve put together a collection of pretty good players, different personalities, different skillsets, and I think it’s going to be really cool to see us go up against each other in some of these different challenges.”
Most challenges involve standard shot execution, though some will require clearing the iconic 10-foot flop wall from Big Break – a show Scheffler enjoyed watching growing up. The 14-club challenge might be the most intriguing, requiring players to hit a green with every club in their bag, including the putter. Scheffler plans to carry a backup putter but won’t practice that particular shot beforehand.
“I’m definitely not gonna be out on the range ripping full putters trying to figure out that shot,” Scheffler said. “I’m just gonna figure that one out as naturally as possible within the competition.”
Both captains are already thinking about potential left-handed shots. McIlroy feels confident in his opposite-side skills, though he admits his lefty driver only carries about 180 yards. Scheffler’s assessment of his own lefty game is more blunt.
“My lefty game is not very good to say the least,” Scheffler said. “And Sam, you know, one of my partners, his is not much better either. … Maybe that’s something that I’ll hit a few lefty shots this next week [in preparation].”
McIlroy’s recent preparation included a TaylorMade shoot with Tiger Woods where he had to hit a flop shot over Woods himself.
“I was probably as nervous as I’ve been in a long time,” McIlroy said. “His body’s already banged up, I didn’t want to add to it.”
How’d it go?
“He lived to tell the tale,” McIlroy added.
