The much ballyhooed match between PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf took place Tuesday night as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy locked horns with Bryson DeChambeau and Brook Koepka in “The Showdown” on TNT. While LIV Golf may be the new, fun brand, it was the PGA Tour that walked away with the victory, and in dominant fashion.
The match itself offered an opportunity to get into the minds of the golfers, with each of them mic’d up throughout the night. Unfortunately, the matchup itself wound up finishing sooner than we’d expected, as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dominated from the get-go, taking home the $10 million cryptocurrency prize purse.
Here’s everything that happened at Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas.
PGA Tour wins The Showdown
From early on, it was evident that Scheffler and McIlroy were playing a level above Koepka and DeChambeau. Perhaps DeChambeau’s parka was a giveaway that LIV was not ready to play in the cold Vegas air.
McIlroy’s heroics with the putter combined with Scheffler’s consistency and DeChambeau’s struggles allowed the PGA Tour to secure the win in just 16 holes.
LIV’s day on the links gets even worse
If you though it couldn’t get worse for DeChambeau and Koepka, you’d be mistaken. The 16th hole saw LIV spend more time in the trees than the fairway. Still, despite the time in the woods, LIV had an opportunity to stay alive if Koepka could’ve sunk a 10-foot putt. Unfortunately, Koepka left the putt to the right, allowing Scheffler to take a two hole lead with only two holes to play.
Given that LIV Golf needed both Koepka and DeChambeau to win their singles matches to have a chance, Koepka’s missed putt gave the win to the PGA Tour. It was a fitting end to a forgettable day for LIV Golf.
Scheffler, McIlroy up 1
With three holes to play, both PGA Tour golfers are one up. DeChambeau actually won Hole 15 after McIlroy left his shot short of the creek on 15, forcing a very tough shot onto the green, while DeChambeau was already near the pin. However, it may not be enough for DeChambeau to overcome his deficit.
DeChambeau having a rough day with the putter
Hole 14 saw LIV Golf win one of their matchups as Koepka defeated Scheffler, but DeChambeau continued to struggle, missing a putt that would’ve tied the hole with McIlroy.
Following the missed putt, DeChambeau was noticeably upset. He put his head in his hands and covered his face for a few seconds before walking over and picking up his ball. While Scheffler and Koepka are tied through two holes of the final segment, DeChambeau is down two with only four holes to play. LIV Golf needs both DeChambeau and Koepka to win their matchups for any shot at the $10 million grand prize.
LIV Golf bogies Hole 13
LIV Golf needs to win each of their singles matchups – Scheffler vs. Koepka, McIlroy vs. DeChambeau – for any shot to win The Showdown, but the third and final segment got off to a rocky start. Hole 13 is a tough Par 3, but both McIlroy and Scheffler were able to earn pars. DeChambeau and Koepka each lipped out their par putts. It was close, but as has been the case all night, LIV Golf is constantly coming up just short. They are at a huge disadvantage with only five holes to play.
PGA Tour wins second segment
Although it was much closer than the first segment, the PGA Tour duo of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy walked away from Hole 12 with a 2 segment to none lead over LIV Golf. DeChambeau and Koepka gave the PGA Tour a run for their money, winning Hole 11 to knot the score up, but after a missed putt opened the door, McIlroy’s ever-faithful putter sealed the victory for his team.
The PGA Tour only needs to halve the final segment – singles play – to secure the grand prize.
DeChambeau and Koepka win their first hole
LIV Golf finally got on the board with a win on Hole 11. PGA Tour’s Rory McIlroy had an opportunity to earn a birdie with a mid-range putt, but missed. McIlroy was flabbergasted, and visibly upset with himself.
That opened the door for Koepka to win the hole. He did just that. We head into Hole 12, the final hole of the second segment, with the teams knotted up. Each team needs 2.5 segments to win the event, meaning if DeChambeau and Koepka cannot win this last hole, their only hope for a win would be each of them winning their singles matches and forcing a playoff.
DeChambeau frustrated after Hole 10
It hasn’t been a great showing for LIV Golf tonight, and Hole 10 was no different, but it could’ve been much worse. DeChambeau had an opportunity to birdie the hole and knot the second segment back up, but he lipped out. Over the broadcast, you could hear DeChambeau audibly say “Are you kidding me?” after the miss. Luckily, Scheffler lipped his birdie putt out as well, giving Koepka an opportunity to tie the hole, which he drained. Through four holes in the second segment, Scheffler and McIlroy are up one.
Scheffler and McIlroy finally break through
After a terrific second shot by Scheffler, McIlroy was set up for an easy birdie to take the lead in the second segment. McIlroy’s putter has been money all…
