Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler defeated LIV Golf duo Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in The Showdown in Las Vegas, but fans were left far from impressed
Rory McIlroy impressed as he teamed up with Scottie Scheffler to overcome the challenge from LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in ‘The Showdown’.
On Tuesday, PGA Tour players Scheffler and McIlroy expertly fended off their opponents in Las Vegas, reportedly raking in a minimum of $10million (£7.9m) in prize money. Taking place at the opulent Shadow Creek Golf Course, the event has been touted as delivering the “first-ever multi-million-dollar professional sports prize purse in CRO Cryptocurrency”.
The day’s play was split into three six-hole chunks, mirroring a format akin to that of the Ryder Cup. It kicked off with best ball, then moved onto alternate shots, and wrapped up with singles matches, but McIlroy and Scheffler led the pack at every turn. They were one hole up right off the bat in best ball, growing their lead, climaxing with McIlroy sinking an impressive 40-foot birdie putt on the fourth.
DeChambeau had a golden opportunity to extend the phase with an eagle putt coming in under five feet, which he ultimately squandered, not unlike McIlroy’s own missed chance at Pinehurst No. 2 this past June.
This slip allowed McIlroy and Scheffler to seal the first segment 3 and 2. Both pairs battled with their putts in the alternate shot section, but the PGA Tour duo narrowly edged out their competitors to maintain a 2-0 lead.
In the need to merely draw one of the last two head-to-heads, Scheffler secured his clash against Koepka by leading with two holes to spare. At that point, McIlroy also held the upper hand over DeChambeau.
McIlroy and Scheffler faced Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in ‘The Showdown’ ( Image: Getty Images for The Showdown)
Fans were not charmed by the event. Displeasure was voiced across social mediaplatforms, with one user stating: “Total borefest… shut it off!”
“What a tough watch,” added another fan, while another said: “Nearly put me to sleep. It was not a good product. Players even seemed bored and unmotivated.”
“It was SOOOOO BORING!! Whoever planned this did everything he could to make the event a total snooze,” another fan commented. One X user suggested even trash talking wouldn’t have livened up the occasion: “I mean the LIV boys got absolutely cooked, talking trash would have just been internet fodder. There’s not much you can do when you can’t make a putt.”
In an interview with TNT after securing the victory, McIlroy acknowledged the game’s challenges: “It got cold pretty quickly but obviously Scottie and I got off to a really good start, and then from there it was just about trying to keep the momentum. It was a bit of a battle in the alternate shot and we were lucky to scrape a win over those six holes.”
McIlroy’s win with Scheffler has helped avenge his defeat to DeChambeau in the final round of this year’s US Open. All four players will now be looking forward to the 2025 season, with four majors and a Ryder Cup on the horizon.
