Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dominated The Showdown, defeating LIV Golf superstars Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau with ease.
In addition to earning some bragging rights, Scheffler and McIlroy received $10 million in cryptocurrency as prize money, which led the reigning Masters champion to drop a funny anecdote after the round.
“I don’t know a whole lot about crypto, but this is good motivation to do some research,” Scheffler said during the trophy presentation.
Other than that cheeky comment, not much happened during the match itself. Only one viral moment occurred, and it, of course, involved DeChambeau and his wardrobe. But ultimately, the first edition of The Showdown proved to be a letdown—a stark contrast to the high expectations fans had before this event.
Here are four reasons why it disappointed:
4. The Golf Course
Yes, Shadow Creek does not have a blade of grass out of place. Yes, it has gorgeous scenery and incredible vistas of the mountains. And yes, the course is in immaculate condition, but it should not be hosting a high-stakes match between four of the best players on the planet.
Too many holes lacked strategy, and too many holes resembled one another. No particular hole stood out, aside from maybe the par-5 4th hole, where the match all but ended. McIlroy drained a 40-footer for eagle there, while DeChambeau missed a tap-in to tie, serving as a harbinger of things to come. But even that long dogleg left, with water up its left side and in front of the green, does not stick out at the forefront of the viewer’s mind. Every hole at Shadow Creek seems to have a manufactured water hazard or a stream that trickles up one side of the fairway. At least the greens were firm, which produced some difficult circumstances. Yet this Showdown was frankly dull, and the golf course played a large role as to why.
3. The Weather/Time of Day
The weather certainly played a factor in these matches, as the chilly nighttime Las Vegas air led each player to lose about five yards of carry. The temperature dropped into the lower 50s by the end of the competition, and the players did not enjoy it for more reasons than not.
No wonder why DeChambeau wore an oversized coat throughout the match, which turned into the biggest story of this exhibition. DeChambeau even had hand warmers, proof that the reigning U.S. Open champion wanted no part of the cold. McIlroy and Scheffler did not either, as a heater was blowing on them right in their cart.
This leads us to ask: Why did organizers stage this event at night in Las Vegas in December? Everyone knows it gets cold in the desert after dark, especially at this time of year. Network executives wanted primetime viewing, and no other place offers more entertainment options than Las Vegas. But they could have held this event in a different locale—maybe Hawaii? Imagine if a course in Maui played host and this foursome teed off at 1 p.m. local time there. That translates to 6 p.m. ET—when this event started in the first place. On top of that, the long shadows of December made it tough for viewers over the first hour or so, as nobody knew where any shot was going.
2. Lack of Competition
As soon as McIlroy and Scheffler won the first two holes outright, you had a sense that this would be a long night for the LIV golfers. The PGA Tour stars won easily, closing the match out on the 16th hole and dominating fourballs and singles. McIlroy and Scheffler won 10 holes combined, while Koepka and DeChambeau could only muster three.
You can attribute this result to form. Scheffler dominated the Hero World Challenge less than 10 days ago, winning by six shots over an elite field in the Bahamas. McIlroy, meanwhile, won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai last month, ending his tumultuous—albeit solid—year on a high note.
On the flip side, DeChambeau last competed at the LIV Golf Team Championships in September and has spent his time creating YouTube content since then. That’s not a knock on him; that’s just the reality—YouTube Golf differs greatly from tournament play, and DeChambeau’s lack of form showed that.
Koepka’s most recent pro start was at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October. That week, he tied for 10th, but his play on Tuesday came nowhere close to resembling that strong finish in Scotland. The LIV Golf stars struggled mightily on the greens and with their approach play, a surprising scene for golf fans around the world.
1. Zero Trash Talk
McIlroy, who fell short of DeChambeau by a stroke at the U.S. Open, expressed why he wanted to win The Showdown so badly at the driving range on Monday.
“I’d like to get him back for what he did to me at the U.S. Open,” McIlroy uttered.
That led DeChambeau to respond with an all-time diss:
“To be fair, you kinda did it to yourself,” DeChambeau said.
Those in attendance gasped and laughed in disbelief as the mark also left McIlroy speechless.
After a few seconds of murmurs and laughs, all McIlroy could muster was, “I don’t really know where to go from there.” And who could blame him? He suffered one of the most heartbreaking finishes in U.S. Open history and unfortunately had to relive that horrifying finish again.
Yet, it was DeChambeau who missed plenty of short putts during Tuesday’s competition. But given what occurred one day prior, fans presumed they would see and hear plenty of trash talk between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf stars. That wound up not being the case. Instead, no barbs were exchanged between any of the players, despite all four having AirPods in their ears, thus connecting them to the broadcast.
Later in the match, while facing an overwhelming deficit, DeChambeau removed his AirPod, a sign that he had listened to his fair share of Charles Barkley. But other than that, which was nothing, the broadcast—and the entertainment value—proved to be a major letdown.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
