The PGA Tour wins this round against LIV Golf.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy bested Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in the latest version of “The Match,” which this time was renamed “Crypto.com Showdown” at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.
The event was billed as the “first multi-million dollar CRO cryptocurrency professional sports prize.” It’s unclear how much the winning team took home, but the prize was supposedly believed to be “at least 10 million dollars.”
The competition was divided into three six-hole segments to resemble the Ryder Cup at Shadow Creek. The first six holes were better ball, the middle six were alternate shots and then the last six holes were individual matches.
The PGA Tour duo maintained the lead at every stage of the match.
They were 1 up after the better-ball first hole and kept going, earning the first victory of the night on 3-and-2 with an incredible 40-foot birdie putt by McIlroy on the fourth hole. DeChambeau had a chance to maintain the phase with an eagle putt from less than five feet, but he squandered it.
However, Team LIV did some damage when DeChambeau’s tee shot on No. 2 reportedly hit Scheffler’s father.
The alternate shot was closer, with the same result. Both teams struggled with putting, but McIlroy and Scheffler were exactly one shot better, putting them up 2-0 entering the individual phase and only needing to tie at least one of the two matchups.
“It cooled off pretty quickly, but obviously Scottie and I got off to a really good start, and then from there it was all about trying to keep the momentum going,” McIlroy said on the TNT broadcast. “It was kind of a battle on the alternate shot and we were lucky to get a win on those six holes.”
For singles, it was Scheffler against Koepka and McIlroy against DeChambeau and more on the 16th hole, when Scheffler secured his matchup to finish the proceedings, leading by two holes with two to go. McIlroy was also managing DeChambeau at the time.
PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf finally happens as deal nears
Now, Tuesday’s event, which is just the latest in “The Match” history, doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. However, it marked a step in the right direction in the battle between the Tour and LIV Golf, something that finally appears to be coming to an end after years of turmoil between the organizations and their golfers.
There was a time when pitting two Tour golfers against two LIV Golf members would have been an inconceivable idea considering how the two entities treated each other. Even after PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan shocked the golf world more than 18 months ago with the surprising framework agreement between them and LIV Golf, things were still very difficult.
But recently things have taken a turn. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which backs LIV Golf, is reportedly close to a deal to acquire a minority stake in PGA Tour Enterprises. According to a Bloomberg report last weekthe PIF would get about 6% of PGA Tour Enterprises.
While the details of that deal are still unknown, and it’s unclear when (or if) it will actually come together, it’s the closest we’ve come to a deal since the golf world initially fractured. The fact that McIlroy has completely changed his stance on LIV after being one of the strongest opponents to being willing to participate in a made-for-TV event pitting the two leagues against each other is a perfect example of this.
McIlroy and DeChambeau even took jabs at each other before the event like old times, when they referenced McIlroy’s brutal collapse at the US Open earlier this summer.
At the very least, the best players in both leagues are ready to join forces and are doing everything they can to prove it with events like Tuesday’s in Las Vegas. Now it’s up to the leagues themselves to reach an agreement.
Until then, we’ll have to wait for the Masters in April to have the best of golf on the same course at the same time.