The much ballyhooed match between PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf took place Tuesday night as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy locked horns with Bryson DeChambeau and Brook Koepka in “The Showdown” on TNT. While LIV Golf may be the new, fun brand, it was the PGA Tour that walked away with the victory, and in dominant fashion.
The match itself offered an opportunity to get into the minds of the golfers, with each of them mic’d up throughout the night. Unfortunately, the matchup itself wound up finishing sooner than we’d expected, as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dominated from the get-go, taking home the $10 million cryptocurrency prize purse.
Here’s everything that happened at Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas.
PGA Tour wins The Showdown
From early on, it was evident that Scheffler and McIlroy were playing a level above Koepka and DeChambeau. Perhaps DeChambeau’s parka was a giveaway that LIV was not ready to play in the cold Vegas air.
McIlroy’s heroics with the putter combined with Scheffler’s consistency and DeChambeau’s struggles allowed the PGA Tour to secure the win in just 16 holes.
LIV’s day on the links gets even worse
If you though it couldn’t get worse for DeChambeau and Koepka, you’d be mistaken. The 16th hole saw LIV spend more time in the trees than the fairway. Still, despite the time in the woods, LIV had an opportunity to stay alive if Koepka could’ve sunk a 10-foot putt. Unfortunately, Koepka left the putt to the right, allowing Scheffler to take a two hole lead with only two holes to play.
Given that LIV Golf needed both Koepka and DeChambeau to win their singles matches to have a chance, Koepka’s missed putt gave the win to the PGA Tour. It was a fitting end to a forgettable day for LIV Golf.
Scheffler, McIlroy up 1
With three holes to play, both PGA Tour golfers are one up. DeChambeau actually won Hole 15 after McIlroy left his shot short of the creek on 15, forcing a very tough shot onto the green, while DeChambeau was already near the pin. However, it may not be enough for DeChambeau to overcome his deficit.
DeChambeau having a rough day with the putter
Hole 14 saw LIV Golf win one of their matchups as Koepka defeated Scheffler, but DeChambeau continued to struggle, missing a putt that would’ve tied the hole with McIlroy.
Following the missed putt, DeChambeau was noticeably upset. He put his head in his hands and covered his face for a few seconds before walking over and picking up his ball. While Scheffler and Koepka are tied through two holes of the final segment, DeChambeau is down two with only four holes to play. LIV Golf needs both DeChambeau and Koepka to win their matchups for any shot at the $10 million grand prize.
LIV Golf bogies Hole 13
LIV Golf needs to win each of their singles matchups – Scheffler vs. Koepka, McIlroy vs. DeChambeau – for any shot to win The Showdown, but the third and final segment got off to a rocky start. Hole 13 is a tough Par 3, but both McIlroy and Scheffler were able to earn pars. DeChambeau and Koepka each lipped out their par putts. It was close, but as has been the case all night, LIV Golf is constantly coming up just short. They are at a huge disadvantage with only five holes to play.
PGA Tour wins second segment
Although it was much closer than the first segment, the PGA Tour duo of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy walked away from Hole 12 with a 2 segment to none lead over LIV Golf. DeChambeau and Koepka gave the PGA Tour a run for their money, winning Hole 11 to knot the score up, but after a missed putt opened the door, McIlroy’s ever-faithful putter sealed the victory for his team.
The PGA Tour only needs to halve the final segment – singles play – to secure the grand prize.
DeChambeau and Koepka win their first hole
LIV Golf finally got on the board with a win on Hole 11. PGA Tour’s Rory McIlroy had an opportunity to earn a birdie with a mid-range putt, but missed. McIlroy was flabbergasted, and visibly upset with himself.
That opened the door for Koepka to win the hole. He did just that. We head into Hole 12, the final hole of the second segment, with the teams knotted up. Each team needs 2.5 segments to win the event, meaning if DeChambeau and Koepka cannot win this last hole, their only hope for a win would be each of them winning their singles matches and forcing a playoff.
DeChambeau frustrated after Hole 10
It hasn’t been a great showing for LIV Golf tonight, and Hole 10 was no different, but it could’ve been much worse. DeChambeau had an opportunity to birdie the hole and knot the second segment back up, but he lipped out. Over the broadcast, you could hear DeChambeau audibly say “Are you kidding me?” after the miss. Luckily, Scheffler lipped his birdie putt out as well, giving Koepka an opportunity to tie the hole, which he drained. Through four holes in the second segment, Scheffler and McIlroy are up one.
Scheffler and McIlroy finally break through
After a terrific second shot by Scheffler, McIlroy was set up for an easy birdie to take the lead in the second segment. McIlroy’s putter has been money all night, so it was nearly a guarantee as soon as Scheffler hit the green. Through three holes in the second segment, PGA Tour is up one. LIV Golf needs to win this segment for any hope at the prize money.
Second segment remains knotted up
Once again, McIlroy and Scheffler had an opportunity to take a lead in the second segment, but McIlroy’s impressive putter failed them as he rolled the ball right of the hole on what would’ve been the hole-clinching putt. Through two in the second segment, it’s still tied.
Scheffler biffs putt to win first hole of second segment
LIV Golf was all over the yard on the first hole of the second segment, going from the rough off the tee to behind a bunker, but the pair did eventually earn a par to put the pressure on McIlroy and Scheffler. The PGA Tour had an opportunity to clinch it with a six-foot birdie putt for Scheffler, but Scheffler missed. Through one hole in the second segment, it’s all knotted up. LIV Golf must win this segment to have any hope of winning the prize.
McIlroy might have the hottest putter on the planet
After a terrific second shot by Bryson DeChambeau put him mere feet away from the pin, McIlroy rose to the occasion, opting for the ol’ Texas wedge from way off the green. McIlroy drilled it, earning him an eagle, and putting the pressure on DeChambeau to nail his putt.
DeChambeau lipped it left, and the PGA Tour (or solely McIlroy) won the first six-hole segment of the event in just four holes with a 3-hole lead with only two to play. The golfers will skip holes 5 and 6, jumping straight to 7 for the second segment, where each team will alternate shots.
Koepka lands in the water
LIV Golf’s comeback attempt hit another hurdle on the fourth hole as Koepka teed off into the water on the left side. Hole No. 4 is a Par 5, giving Koepka an opportunity for an up-and-down with two fantastic shots, but the odds of him making a difference here are slim.
It appears up to DeChambeau to keep LIV Golf in the running for the first segment of this event.
Hole 3 is a tie
After the PGA Tour pair won each of the first two holes, Hole 3 went to neither group, making the odds of a LIV Golf comeback all the more improbable with only three holes to play.
LIV Golf had an opportunity to win the hole with a birdie putt from DeChambeau, but it was left just right, enabling McIlroy and Scheffler to putt for par and earn a push.
Crew mentions DeChambeau/Koepka feud
During the third hole, as the golfers walked to their shots, the TV crew and Koepka were poking fun at DeChambeau’s big coat, saying that it looked big enough to fit both DeChambeau and Koepka. Afterwards, the crew mentioned that while DeChambeau and Koepka are “good now,” perhaps hopping in the same coat would be too much. For casual golf fans, that statement may have been confusing. But for folks who have followed golf over the last few years, the pair’s feud was sure to be brought up at some point during the night. Here’s a quick explainer:
Emotions between DeChambeau and Koepka started running high after Koepka criticized DeChambeau’s play at the 2019 Dubai Desert Classic. The pair continued taking subtle jabs at one another throughout the 2020 season, with the most viral moment coming after Koepka appeared visibly annoyed with DeChambeau after the latter walked through the former’s interview and said something that the cameras couldn’t pick up, but Koepka clearly heard. Their feud came to a head in 2021 after DeChambeau was showered with “Brooksie” chants throughout the PGA Tour season. It got so bad that the PGA Tour itself had to get involved, threatening to eject fans who taunted DeChambeau.
Their differences have reportedly been squashed since, and the pair’s decision to each sign with LIV Golf certainly helped them look past their grievances.
McIlroy birdies again to give PGA Tour 2-hole lead
With only six holes in the match play segment of this event, Rory McIlroy is putting the PGA Tour on his back, giving them an almost insurmountable two-hole lead after two holes. He’s now birdied twice in a row and reminded everyone why you should never doubt Rory in match play.
McIlroy birdie clinches first hole for PGA Tour
After both LIV and Scheffler parred the first hole, the pressure was on McIlroy to win the hole for the PGA Tour. McIlroy is not known for his clutch gene, but he came up big on this occasion, drilling the putt for the early lead.
As a reminder, only the first six holes will be match play. The following six will be alternating shots, while the final six will be singles.
LIV Golf competitors fail to hit green
After Scheffler was the only golfer to miss the fairway off the tee, the PGA Tour golfers bounced back on their second shots, each of them hitting the green.
The same can’t be said for the LIV duo. Koepka’s shot bounced over the back of the green, just off the edge in the rough, while DeChambeau’s shot fell short.
Sheffler/McIlroy tee off first
After a coin toss on the first tee, it was revealed that the PGA Tour team of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy would have honors to start the event.
Scheffler took the first shot ahead of McIlroy, and smoked an iron onto the right side rough, just off the fairway. Shadow Creek Golf Course is a notoriously narrow course, so we should expect to see a lot more play out of the thick stuff as the event unfolds.
That said, Scheffler was the only player not to hit the fairway off the first tee.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: The Showdown: How PGA’s Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy won in Vegas
