Online Reporter
THE PGA Tour got the best of LIV Golf during a high-stakes duel in the desert as Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Scottie Scheffler teamed to earn 2 1/2 points and win “The Showdown” over Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Playing three different 2-on-2 competitions of six holes apiece, with the final 10 holes under temporary lights, the PGA Tour duo won the opening best-ball competition after just four holes and also came out on top during the alternate-shot competition over holes 7-12.
In singles competition over the final six holes, Scheffler secured the decisive half-point by going up two holes on Koepka with two to play.
With four total points available – two in singles play – 2 1/2 points were needed for the victory. The final McIlroy/DeChambeau match was not played to completion.
As the rift thaws between the dueling tours, the competition at Shadow Creek Golf Club could end up being a precursor to a full-blown Ryder Cup-style match between the two tours played over an entire weekend.
McIlroy’s hot start helped the PGA Tour team earn a point in the best-ball competition. McIlroy opened with birdies on medium-range putts to win the first two holes. He then clinched the point in the opening session with a 50-foot putt, while DeChambeau missed a short putt to tie.
In the alternate-shot competition over the middle six holes, a DeChambeau missed putt gave McIlroy and Scheffler the ninth hole, and a McIlroy 4-footer at No 12 clinched the session for a 2-0 lead. The LIV Golf team did not win a hole until No 11.
While DeChambeau struggled with his putter all day, it was a pair of stray drives at No 16 for both DeChambeau and Koepka that spelled doom. Scheffler, the No 1 player in the world, clinched the match with a birdie at 16, while Koepka missed a birdie putt to tie the singles match.
McIlroy and Scheffler earned $10 million for the victory, with the sum paid in cryptocurrency.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Jay Monahan revealed Tuesday that the tour plans to hire a CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, its for-profit wing established last year.
Monahan shared the news during a town hall meeting Tuesday morning and in a video directed to fans published on social media.
Monahan, among the highest-paid commissioners in American pro sports at $23 million last year, will keep his job and help lead the search for the CEO.
“We’re bringing new perspectives onto our team to help us realise the incredible opportunities ahead for our sport, including launching a search for a CEO of the PGA Tour,” Monahan said. “We can learn so much from across the world of sport and entertainment, and I’m excited to meet candidates for this important new role.”
Arthur Blank – owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and chair of PGA Tour Enterprises’ management, development and compensation committee – will also sit on the search committee, along with player directors Tiger Woods and Adam Scott and others.
The role figures to be crucial as the tour navigates its negotiations with LIV Golf and its financial backers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The PIF is reportedly nearing a deal to purchase a minority stake in PGA Tour Enterprises.
Monahan also said in his video that “everything is on the table” as the tour seeks ways to evolve its product, including “looking hard at new formats that make our game even more engaging.” — SuperSport.
