Scheffler and DeChambeau reportedly to play in PGA TOUR-LIV GOLF match in Las Vegas
Scotty Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are set to face LIV GOLF stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in a televised match in Las Vegas, Golfweek reported Wednesday. It will be the first time the top players from each zone will face off outside of a major.
Blake Smith, who manages Scheffler and Koepka for Hambrick Sports, confirmed the players’ participation and said they were “excited to be a part of this unique event.”
Among the details yet to be announced were when the match will take place in December and at what ground. The four have played in a combined 13 major championships over the past decade. What’s even more fascinating is that the tournament features players from the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia-sponsored LIV Golf, and the only tournaments like this take place at the four majors and the Olympics. The PGA Tour is still in negotiations with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which is a minority investor and lender to LIV. There are no indications a deal is near and the deal remains subject to review by the U.S. Department of Justice. The PGA Tour confirmed last week that players competing against LIV will be barred from playing in tour events for one year from their last appearance.
Golfweek reports that the match will be broadcast on TNT, which has aired “The Match” nine times so far, a series that began with Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson. McIlroy wrote in a text message to Golfweek that the match was “designed to energize the fans.”
“We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that will bring the best together again,” McIlroy said.
Once LIV’s most vocal critic, McIlroy is now lobbying to bring the two sides together. He is on the negotiating committee with the PIF.
“I understand the argument that they left, it was their choice and all that,” McIlroy said, referring to the likes of DeChambeau and Koepka who defected to take guaranteed riches from rivals in the Saudi Arabia-backed league. “I think it’s been going on long enough, I think everyone is trying to find a solution. It’s just that a solution is hard to see. Golfweek, citing two sources, said players would receive entry fees but no prize money.
