Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler dominated their LIV Golf rivals in Tuesday night’s highly anticipated matchup, winning the made-for-TV showdown at Shadow Creek in North Las Vegas.
The PGA Tour stars never gave Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau a chance, wrapping up their victory in just 14 holes.
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Scottie Scheffler
130
59
$71,793,586
It was the first time fans got to see PGA Tour and LIV Golf players face off outside of major championships, though the event felt more like casual golf than fierce competition.
The night was so chilly that DeChambeau bundled up in a huge puffer jacket before sunset.
McIlroy set the tone early with the shot of the night – a spectacular 40-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole. Even with DeChambeau in perfect position for his own eagle attempt, he couldn’t convert, and the PGA Tour duo never looked back.
“Rory getting off to a great start was big for our team,” Scheffler said.
The format split the match into three parts: six holes of fourball, six holes of foursomes, and six holes of singles play. Each section was worth one point.
Things got interesting during the foursomes section when it looked like it might end in a tie. But DeChambeau’s aggressive birdie putt ran 10 feet past the hole, and Koepka missed the comeback putt to hand another point to the PGA Tour team.
The winners each took home $5 million in cryptocurrency, adding to their already incredible year. Scheffler’s earnings for 2023 now top $62 million, while McIlroy was coming fresh off a win in Dubai.
The rust showed for the LIV Golf pair, who hadn’t competed since their tour’s season ended back in September.
DeChambeau summed up their performance pretty honestly: “It was a bit of a pillow fight for us. I’d love to have another opportunity.”
The match ended before fans could see Shadow Creek’s famous 17th hole, but by then, the result was already clear – chalk one up for the PGA Tour.
