“The Showdown,” advertised as the battle between PGA Tour players Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler and LIV Golf pros Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, has concluded.
Unfortunately, it was not all that it was cracked up to be. Advertised as “The Battle Between the Tours, which we’ve already seen play out in the media since LIV Golf was founded in 2021, it was less of a battle and more of just four dudes playing golf.
For those golf fans who did not watch, here’s a quick breakdown of what unfolded.
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Was “The Showdown” Worth the Watch for Golf Fans?
The Showdown consisted of three six-hole matches with a different scoring system for each at Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas.
A Rocky Start
The first six holes were played with a “best ball” scoring format, where each player plays their own ball and the best score of the team is counted as the team score. The PGA players dominated this section, with the LIV team not winning a single hole, only tying one, and losing 3&2 (down three holes with two to play).
This section was disappointing, as this was advertised as an 18-hole event, yet this session concluded after four holes. The most exciting moments of this section included the PGA team making fun of DeChambeau for wearing a parka in Las Vegas, McIlroy sinking a long eagle putt to force DeChambeau to have to make his eagle putt (which was missed), Charles Barkley making subtle jokes about balls and the players making fun of “Chuck: whenever given the chance.
The second six-hole match was played in an alternate shot format, where players rotated the shots being hit. So, the player who hits the tee shot does not hit the follow-up shot until the hole is complete. During this section, the LIV team picked up their first won hole on 11 (the ninth hole played) to tie the round after the PGA team won on hole 9 (the seventh played). Still, the PGA team came out victorious yet again, clinching this section on hole 12 (10th played). This section was largely uneventful as well.
Team PGA Tour Runs Away With It
A final six-hole match was played as two singles matches going on simultaneously, where each golfer battles one on the other team in an attempt to win more holes. This section was the most competitive section of the night, with McIlroy taking on DeChambeau and Scheffler taking on Koepka.
Starting at hole 13, the PGA side won the hole outright, with both making par. Hole 14 is split, with McIlroy and Koepka each winning their side the hole. The 15th also remained a tie, with the results flipping from the previous hole. Hole 16 concluded the match with Scheffler beating Koepka and securing the win for the PGA Tour.
“The Letdown”
“The Showdown” showed significant problems with attempting to turn professional golfers into personalities. On the course, these guys are locked in and are golf robots. Most of the conversation we got was simply about the course and what shots they were taking, with arguably the most exciting conversation between McIlroy and Scheffler being about Creatine.
The PGA Tour is starting to recognize the need for more personality in the game, as YouTube golfers such as Good Good, the Bryan Bros, Bob Does Sports and other individuals are largely taking over the space.
This “Showdown,” however, was quite a disappointment to many who were hoping for a more exciting match.
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*Photo Credit: Melissa Tamez – USA TODAY Sports*
