(Image by: scottie.scheffler)
Excitement is building ahead of the next iteration of ‘The Match’ when PGA Tour stars Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy take on their LIV counterparts Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
Billed as a matchup between the two competing tours, tensions are set to rise as each team tries to claim the bragging rights.
Set to take place later this year, here is everything you need to know about golf’s biggest showdown.
What is ‘The Match’?
First conceived back in 2018, ‘The Match’ originally started as an exhibition contest which pitted Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson against one another. With each player calling out the other an eighteen hole matchplay event where the winner took home $9 million was put together.
The idea was that the eighteen hole match could only be purchased by PPV but due to technical issues the contest was broadcast for free with Mickelson eventually winning one of the biggest windfalls in the history of the sport on the fourth playoff hole.
With the introduction of celebrity commentators and with each player mic’d up, the format caught on and over the years a whole host of different contests have taken place.
Have Celebrities or Non-Golfers Competed?
With many criticising the money on offer during the first ever iteration of ‘The Match’ it wasn’t surprising that for the second iteration, both Mickelson and Woods returned and played for charity. Partnering each golfer were two of the best NFL Quarterbacks to have ever played the game with Woods playing with Peyton Manning and Mickelson playing with Tom Brady.
‘The Match’ is now in its eighth iteration and other NFL stars, Josh Allen, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers have all teed it up. From the NBA both Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have played.
(Image by: brysondechambeau)
When is This Year’s Match Due to Take Place?
The match between McIlroy, Scheffler, Koepka and DeChambeau is due to take place in Las Vegas in December. The exact date and format is still to be confirmed but it is believed that the action will take place at the Wynn Golf Club which has previously hosted three editions of ‘The Match’
Have Any of The Competitors Ever Played in The Competition Before?
The only player not to have played in an event like this is Scottie Scheffler. His partner, Rory McIlroy, has played in two similar events, teeing it up back in 2022 with Tiger Woods where they would lose to Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. The four time major winner also teed it up at the start of 2024 where he got the better of Max Homa and LPGA stars, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang.
Like McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau is a veteran of these matches and the current U.S Open Champion will be making his third appearance having played two versions back in 2021. A winner with Aaron Rodgers, he then lost to Brooks Koepka when the two played an eleven hole shootout.
For Brooks Koepka, his appearance back in 2021 when he dominated DeChambeau in the eleven hole contest remains his only appearance to date.
Will The Players be Playing For Prize Money?
There will be no official prize money up for grabs, instead any proceeds from the contest will be handed out to charities.
(Image by: rorymcilroy)
Why Does This Match Have Added Significance?
No player contracted to the LIV Tour has teed it up in ‘The Match’ since 2022 and the decision to invite both Koepka and DeChambeau is a sign that the two tours are starting to crossover much more.
With LIV having completed its second full season and the details for their 2025 season already announced, the great divide between the PGA and LIV Tours still rages on. Despite numerous attempts of both organisations trying to appease the other, a deal between the rival factions is still not close and even if a decision to call a truce was ordered, there are financial and political tensions to appease.
Whilst the golfing public is now used to the very best players competing on rival tours, the game as a whole is suffering. Viewing figures across the 2024 PGA Tour season were greatly reduced in comparison to previous years and the absence of former PGA stars such as DeChambeau, Koepka, Cam Smith, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson have led to a much weaker product.
Over on the LIV side despite the Saudi funded enterprise making huge strides this season, there are still huge challenges that it needs to overcome. The lack of world ranking points has harmed some of its players such as Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia who due to their ranking tumbling find themselves unable to play in the majors and needing to qualify.
The knock on effect is that the majors now don’t feature the very best players in the world and the overall quality in the fields can be questioned.
Despite its best efforts of trying to recruit a host of class players, LIV still remains without a major TV deal and although it can pull in good numbers through YouTube streaming, it is still struggling to move the dial when it comes to altering the golfing landscape. Often seen as an afterthought or exhibition, LIV still needs to prove the doubters wrong if it is to be taken as a serious tour.
Currently the best players from both tours only collide at the majors and for many it simply isn't enough. There have been calls for a Ryder Cup style event between the two sides but at the moment that doesn’t seem likely to happen.
With fans on both sides believing their Tour is the best, the scheduled contest between two of the PGA’s best and two of LIV’s best has certainly got the tongue wagging. Although the December contest is strictly an exhibition contest, there is much more than bragging rights on the line. This is a chance to show that the best golfers in the world should regularly be competing against one another. If it pulls in big numbers, which it should, it could be the catalyst for those representing both slides to get back round the table and reach a swift conclusion.
Fans are growing tired of the division that has swamped the professional men’s game, let’s hope that December’s match is the first building block to being able to see the best players from both Tours competing against each other on a more consistent and regular basis.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
