The match involving PGA Tour and LIV Golf players now has a name, a date and a location.
It's “The Showdown,” and it pits Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler against LIV’s Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. The 18-hole competition will be played on Dec. 17—a Tuesday—at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.
The formal announcement came from BZ Entertainment, which is helping to run the event.
Golfweek first reported the firmed-up location and date and said TNT would be the broadcast partner, with the event expected to at least partially appear in prime time. Golfweek last month first reported the proposed match and confirmed it with McIlroy.
The Northern Irish golfer has been outspoken in his belief that the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which backs LIV Golf, need to move their negotiations along so the men’s professional game can come together.
McIlroy has largely been critical of LIV Golf in the early times after it launched in June 2022 but shifted after the PGA Tour and PIF announced their “framework agreement” in June of last year.
Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world and won the Masters this year, while DeChambeau edged McIlroy to claim the U.S. Open. Koepka won last year’s PGA Championship and has five major titles, while McIlroy—who is ranked third in the Official World Golf Ranking—has four.
The timing of the disclosure last month came after McIlroy had suggested his impatience with the sides getting together.
“I wouldn't say it's meant to send a message. It's more we wanted to do something that, I guess, all golf fans could get excited about,” McIlroy said at the Irish Open. “You've got the best player in the world. You've got two guys in Bryson and Brooks that have won majors in the last two years. You've got me in there who—I haven't done what those guys have done the last couple years but I've definitely been I feel one of the best players in the world.
“It's a way to show golf fans in the world that this is what could happen or these are the possibilities going forward. I've been saying this for a long time. I think golf and golf fans get to see us together more than four times a year.
“I think that's what we've tried to do. It's in the middle of December. There's not a lot going on in the game of golf. So trying to get people excited about something before the season starts again. I think we all thought it was a good idea and something that hopefully is a sign of things to come in the future.”
The players are expected to be compensated with appearance fees instead of prize money.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler vs. Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau Now Has a Date.
