Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dominated The Showdown, defeating LIV Golf superstars Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau with ease.
Along with incomes some bragging rights, Scheffler and McIlroy acquired $10 million in cryptocurrency as prize cash, which led the reigning Masters champion to drop a humorous anecdote after the spherical.
“I don’t know a complete lot about crypto, however that is good motivation to perform a little research,” Scheffler mentioned in the course of the trophy presentation.
Aside from that cheeky remark, not a lot occurred in the course of the match itself. Just one viral second occurred, and it, in fact, concerned DeChambeau and his wardrobe. However in the end, the primary version of The Showdown proved to be a letdown—a stark distinction to the excessive expectations followers had earlier than this occasion.
Listed below are 4 the explanation why it upset:
4. The Golf Course
Sure, Shadow Creek doesn’t have a blade of grass misplaced. Sure, it has attractive surroundings and unimaginable vistas of the mountains. And sure, the course is in immaculate situation, however it shouldn’t be internet hosting a high-stakes match between 4 of the perfect gamers on the planet.
Too many holes lacked technique, and too many holes resembled each other. No specific gap stood out, except for possibly the par-5 4th gap, the place the match all however ended. McIlroy drained a 40-footer for eagle there, whereas DeChambeau missed a tap-in to tie, serving as a harbinger of issues to return. However even that lengthy dogleg left, with water up its left aspect and in entrance of the inexperienced, doesn’t stick out on the forefront of the viewer’s thoughts. Each gap at Shadow Creek appears to have a manufactured water hazard or a stream that trickles up one aspect of the golf green. At the least the greens had been agency, which produced some tough circumstances. But this Showdown was frankly uninteresting, and the golf course performed a big position as to why.
3. The Climate/Time of Day
The climate definitely performed a consider these matches, because the chilly nighttime Las Vegas air led every participant to lose about 5 yards of carry. The temperature dropped into the decrease 50s by the tip of the competitors, and the gamers didn’t get pleasure from it for extra causes than not.
No marvel why DeChambeau wore an outsized coat all through the match, which was the most important story of this exhibition. DeChambeau even had hand heaters, proof that the reigning U.S. Open champion wished no a part of the chilly. McIlroy and Scheffler didn’t both, as a heater was blowing on them proper of their cart.
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This leads us to ask: Why did organizers stage this occasion at night time in Las Vegas in December? Everybody is aware of it will get chilly within the desert after darkish, particularly at the moment of yr. Community executives wished primetime viewing, and no different place gives extra leisure choices than Las Vegas. However they might have held this occasion in a distinct locale—possibly Hawaii? Think about if a course in Maui performed host and this foursome teed off at 1 p.m. native time there. That interprets to six p.m. ET—when this occasion began within the first place. On high of that, the lengthy shadows of December made it robust for viewers over the primary hour or so, as no one knew the place any shot was going.
2. Lack of Competitors
As quickly as McIlroy and Scheffler gained the primary two holes outright, you had a way that this may be a protracted night time for the LIV golfers. The PGA Tour stars gained simply, closing the match out on the sixteenth gap and dominating fourballs and singles. McIlroy and Scheffler gained 10 holes mixed, whereas Koepka and DeChambeau might solely muster three.
You may attribute this outcome to kind. Scheffler dominated the Hero World Problem lower than 10 days in the past, successful by six photographs over an elite subject within the Bahamas. McIlroy, in the meantime, gained the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai final month, ending his tumultuous—albeit strong—yr on a excessive word.
On the flip aspect, DeChambeau final competed on the LIV Golf Group Championships in September and has spent his time creating YouTube content material since then. That’s not a knock on him; that’s simply the fact—YouTube Golf differs tremendously from match play, and DeChambeau’s lack of kind confirmed that.
Koepka’s most up-to-date professional begin was on the Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks Championship in October. That week, he tied for tenth, however his play on Tuesday got here nowhere near resembling that sturdy end in Scotland. The LIV Golf stars struggled mightily on the greens and with their strategy play, a stunning scene for golf followers around the globe.
1. Zero Trash Discuss
McIlroy, who fell in need of DeChambeau by a stroke on the U.S. Open, expressed why he wished to win The Showdown so badly on the driving vary on Monday.
“I’d wish to get him again for what he did to me on the U.S. Open,” McIlroy uttered.
That led DeChambeau to reply with an all-time diss:
“To be truthful, you kinda did it to your self,” DeChambeau mentioned.
These in attendance gasped and laughed in disbelief because the mark additionally left McIlroy speechless.
After a couple of seconds of murmurs and laughs, all McIlroy might muster was, “I don’t actually know the place to go from there.” And who might blame him? He suffered probably the most heartbreaking finishes in U.S. Open historical past and sadly needed to relive that horrifying end once more.
But, it was DeChambeau who missed loads of quick putts throughout Tuesday’s competitors. However given what occurred sooner or later prior, followers presumed they might see and listen to loads of trash speak between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf stars. That wound up not being the case. As an alternative, no barbs had been exchanged between any of the gamers, regardless of all 4 having AirPods of their ears, thus connecting them to the published.
Later within the match, whereas going through an amazing deficit, DeChambeau eliminated his AirPod, an indication that he had listened to his fair proportion of Charles Barkley. However apart from that, which was nothing, the published—and the leisure worth—proved to be a serious letdown.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By way of. Observe him on X @jack_milko.
