8 things we learned from The Showdown, including where it fell short

The Crypto.com Showdown is in the books, with the PGA Tour’s Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler taking on LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in the made-for-TV spectacle Tuesday night at Shadow Creek in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

It was the long-awaited battle between the two tours in primetime featuring some of their top stars, however the result was pretty one-sided. Did it completely live up to the hype? Not exactly.

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Here are eight things we learned from The Showdown, including where it could’ve been better.

Rust is a thing, even in an exhibition

McIlroy and Scheffler came into The Showdown winning their last two starts: McIlroy last month at the DP World Tour Championship and Scheffler nine days ago at the Hero World Challenge. DeChambeau’s last competitive reps were at the LIV Golf Team Championship in late September while Koepka’s came at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in early October.

Advantage PGA Tour, and that was apparent most of the competition. The LIV pair lost three of four four-ball holes, lost in alternate shot and only won a solitary hole in singles. And while Koepka and DeChambeau had their fair share of good shots, McIlroy and Scheffler provided more entertainment with theirs.

Format was better

It seems the format for every past version of The Match and now The Showdown had had a slightly different format, but this one seemed to work well. Essentially, it was three six-hole matches, starting with four-ball, then foursomes then singles. One point was awarded for winning a session, and the team to 2.5 points first wins.

All in all, the four golfers ended up playing only 14 of the 18 holes at Shadow Creek, and even that took a little more than four hours, which leads into this…

It takes too long

Yes, it’s a made-for-TV event with dozens of sponsors willing to fork over millions for advertising (or $10 million in crypto as the prize). There are going to be lulls in the action when commercial air or ads happen in competition, or when a fan is chosen from the crowd to hit a putt for a paid excursion to Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri (he missed the 10-footer but got a $1,000 certificate to Bass Pro Shops). But from the first tee shot to the time the event was over, it took more than four hours to play 14 holes.

Whether a golf sicko or someone tuning in casually, that’s too slow, and that’s a theme for the made-for-TV events. And that’s not good when considering this next point.

Where’s the banter?

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of The Showdown was the lack of banter between the four.

Sure, DeChambeau had everyone making fun of him early when he pulled out his winter coat that looked like he was spending a weekend in the Swiss Alps, but once those jokes wore off, there was hardly any trash talk between the groups. Even the banter between the groups was limited. One of the best conversations captured of the night was about creatine (and no, it wasn’t Koepka and DeChambeau).

Especially with DeChambeau’s comfortability with YouTube golf and commentating on camera, he was tame by his standards, which was a massive disappointment. No jabs at McIlroy for the U.S. Open. In the heat of competition, these guys are locked in, even if it’s a silly-season match for fun. But for viewers who aren’t familiar with the golfers, it makes for a difficult TV product in certain spots.

Charles Barkley remains best part of broadcast

TNT should be thankful it employs Charles Barkley. He once again was the best part of the broadcast team, with his co-hosts throwing jabs at him and even McIlroy joining in on the banter at points.

Barkley even went on a rant about the LIV Golf and PGA Tour needing to merge, which, in typical Chuck fashion, got off the rails. “I can say what I want to cause I ain’t worried about getting fired,” he said.

Barkley’s ability to say what he wants, even if it doesn’t roll off the tongue perfectly, is exactly what this event needs. If only he got a little help from the players.

We need more under-the-lights golf

As night golf becomes more popular in the United States, past editions of The Match and Now The Showdown were played primarily under the lights, and it’s an incredible viewing experience. For casual or hardcore fans, night golf is rare, and getting to watch the best players in the world deal with different elements and still dominate doesn’t get old.

Watching a golf ball sail into the sky and disappear in darkness on tee shots is exhilarating. Night golf is great for TV.

Scottie is no finance bro

As mentioned above, when Scheffler and McIlroy won, they were given $10 million in crypto as their prize, the first major sporting event to ever award a prize in cryptocurrency.

And Scheffler gave a hilarious answer about what he’s going to do with the crypto.

“I don’t know a whole lot about crypto but this is good motivation to do some research,” he said, chuckling. “Maybe ask a couple questions to figure out what’s going on.”

The best player in the event?

Rory McIlroy, without a question. He played the first four holes in 4 under, including his eagle putt from way off the green on the par-5 fourth. He was automatic with his putter all night, and then in singles, he was in control against Bryson the entire match.

It may not be as good as a fifth major, but McIlroy’s golf game was stellar Tuesday night.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: The Showdown match: Highlights, takeaways from PGA Tour vs. LIV golf