Scottie SchefflerKevin C. Cox/Getty Photos
This yr has introduced a number of intriguing storylines to the world of golf, however the divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has been one of many greatest. Gamers from the 2 rival leagues have typically been at odds, and solely sometimes on the identical course.
Nevertheless, Tuesday’s Crypto.com Showdown will deliver 4 of the world’s finest golfers collectively for a sport that may bridge the hole between the PGA and LIV.
PGA stars Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face off towards LIV’s Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in an 18-hole battle for a large prize.
In line with Crypto.com, the winners will obtain a “multimillion greenback purse to be paid in CRO cryptocurrency.”
The Showdown should not really feel too totally different from TNT Sports activities’ The Match for followers watching at house—Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley will even be on the decision. However it will likely be an all-new, reside occasion meant to ship top-tier golf motion to the followers.
“The Showdown has been about innovation from the start and our dedication to delivering the perfect leisure attainable for the followers by uniting our sport,” DeChambeau stated, per Crypto.com.
It ought to be a incredible competitors, however one golfer seems poised to present his crew a major edge.
TNT Sports activities U.S. PR @TNTSportsUS
🚨 TNT Sports activities to solely current “The https://t.co/ZdNgoALMep Showdown” on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6 pm ET throughout TNT, TBS, truTV & @SportsonMax
⛳️Main winners @McIlroyRory, Scottie Scheffler, @brysondech & @BKoepka in new, premier reside golf competitors: https://t.co/97mqsj1MRR pic.twitter.com/3u0TA3rRFG
The Crypto.com Showdown
Who: Scheffler and McIlroy vs. DeChambeau and Koepka
When: Tuesday, December 17
The place: MGM Resorts’ Shadow Creek golf course in Las Vegas
When: 6 p.m. ET
TV and Stay Stream: TNT and Max
It might appear a cliche to counsel this could possibly be anybody’s sport, however it will be correct. All 4 rivals are elite golfers who’ve main wins on their resume.
DeChambeau has gained the U.S. Open twice, most just lately defeating McIlroy to say the 2024 title. Koepka has additionally gained the U.S. Open twice and the PGA Championship 3 times, most just lately in 2023.
Koepka’s 2023 victory made him the primary golfer to win a significant as a member of LIV.
McIlroy hasn’t gained a significant since 2014, however he has two U.S. Open victories, a PGA Championship and a British Open on his resume. Scheffler, the most well liked golfer on this planet proper now, gained The Masters in 2022 and 2024.
Entering into, it is arduous to not consider Scheffler’s star will shine brightest in The Showdown.
Shadow Creek options comparatively slim fairways on most holes, making driving accuracy extra essential than uncooked energy. The course can even place an emphasis on method pictures, as Edoardo Molinari of Golf Digest just lately defined:
“There are various tee pictures the place you’re both pressured to put as much as a sure quantity or the place the golf green will get very slim previous 320 yards. As such, there are extra pictures than typical from 175 to 225 yards, and a participant can separate himself due to how the greens are formed and framed by bother.”
Scheffler, who leads the PGA in strokes gained by method this yr, ought to navigate Shadow Creek’s challenges nicely. There are a couple of holes on which DeChambeau, who leads LIV in drive distance, ought to have a bonus, however they’re few and much between.
“There are solely three holes (Nos. 6, 14, 18) the place it actually pays to be aggressive off the tee,” Molinari wrote.
This is not to say Scheffler will end with the day’s finest spherical, however his precision and consistency shall be large belongings on this course.
The crew format may even issues fairly a bit, although. The 18-hole contest shall be damaged down into three six-hole sections. The primary will function a best-ball format, whereas the second will function alternating-shot crew play. The ultimate six holes shall be singles play.
Scheffler’s edge shall be most obvious through the closing stage, which is just a portion of the general competitors. He may additionally shine within the first stage, although the best-ball format will enable DeChambeau and Koepka to gamble a bit with longer drives and extra aggressive pictures.
McIlroy hasn’t been significantly constant this yr, however he is nonetheless the third-ranked golfer on this planet and may get sizzling on any given day.
In different phrases, followers have loads of causes to tune in and see how The Showdown unfolds.
