PGA Tour duo Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will team up to take on LIV Golf rivals Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in a matchplay clash in Las Vegas next week
Rory McIlroy has revealed it was not ‘smooth sailing’ to get the PGA Tour to agree to ‘The Showdown’ which will see McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler take on LIV Golf rivals Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
McIlroy, Scheffler, DeChambeau and Koepka will give fans a first taste of a PGA Tour vs LIV clash, with the two pairs facing off over 18 holes with three different formats in Las Vegas on December 17. Players from opposing sides of golf’s recent fallout have only been given the chance to compete alongside each other at the four majors, after the PGA Tour opted to ban players who competed on the LIV setup.
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‘The Showdown’ however will give four of the best golfers on the planet the chance to do battle away from the major stage, with bragging right’s undoubtedly up for grabs.
It comes at a time where PGA Tour bosses are continuing to negotiate with LIV backers, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) over a peace deal. Whilst the Tour have entertained interest from PIF, their relationship with LIV still appears to be modest at best.
When it comes to the merger match in Vegas next week, LIV have seemingly been keen to push the event, their latest step to allow freedom to their playing membership. DeChambeau for example has been able to make a name for himself on YouTube since joining the LIV setup, with likes of Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm also popping up elsewhere too. The same however can not be said for the PGA Tour though, who according to McIlroy, took some convincing to give next week’s match the go ahead.
“It took a few conversations to get them to the point where they saw this could be a good thing in the long run. It took a few conversations,” McIlroy said of the Tour’s attitude towards the match. It wasn’t all smooth sailing but we got there in the end… They’ve been very supportive.”
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are favourites ( Image: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
McIlroy had previously been one of LIV’s biggest critics, having declared he ‘hated’ the Saudi-backed league even after the PGA Tour announced a framework agreement with PIF last June. Since the turn of this year though, the Northern Irishman has softened his stance, and continued his calls for unity through the power of ‘The Showdown’.
He commented “I don’t know if it was to spur things with everything that went on, it was really about us taking this into our own hands a little bit and do something outside of either tour to not only give back to the fans, but to show them or at least let them know we’re trying.”
“We’re trying to bring these players together, and the most opportunities we can get to do that, the better,” McIlroy said. “Does it remind people we’re not playing together all the time? Yes. But at least we’re making the effort to try to bring the best together more often. If we can start by doing something like this, that’s only a good thing.”
