A permanent reunification of golf appears a long way off, but some of the biggest stars of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are moving ahead with their own plans for some head-to-head competition.
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler of the PGA Tour, and Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka of LIV Golf, have already announced plans to do battle in a made-for-TV event. Now, as Golfweek first reported, we have a name, a date and a venue.
“The Showdown” — brought to you by some of the same people who created “The Match,” the ongoing celebrity golf series — will take place Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas. The match will air on TNT, presumably in East Coast prime time.
“This isn’t just a contest between some of golf’s major champions; it’s an event designed to energize the fans,” McIlroy said in a statement announcing the event. “We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.”
There’s plenty of history between all these players. All four are multiple major winners, with Koepka’s five leading the pack, followed by McIlroy’s four and Scheffler and DeChambeau’s two. Most recently, McIlroy and DeChambeau battled to the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open. Koepka and DeChambeau were involved in a high-profile war of words before both departed for LIV Golf. Scheffler has eclipsed the recent achievements of the other three with his spectacular 2024.
Negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the financial backer of LIV Golf, have not yet yielded any reunification despite lofty promises made more than a year ago. If The Showdown is a success, it could spur both sides to find some common ground, since the fan interest in reunifying the game would be clear. Currently, most PGA Tour and LIV Golf players only cross paths at the year’s four majors, and then only when they’re eligible to play in those events.
