Tuesday night’s “Showdown” ultimately lacked spectacle, as PGA Tour pair Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dominated LIV Golf’s duo of Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka to win this inaugural event in convincing fashion. Scheffler and McIlroy quickly won the first two games, held on in the foursomes match and took it easy in the singles matches, totaling the 2.5 points needed to win in Las Vegas.
From the start, Scheffler and McIlroy took the lead at Shadow Creek Golf Club. Relying mainly on McIlroy in the four-ball match, the PGA Tour team won the first two holes thanks to birdies from the talented Northern Irishman. After pars for both teams on the next hole, McIlroy brilliantly played the par-5 4th hole, creating a decisive opportunity.
Transforming his putt for an eagle from around 12 meters, McIlroy reversed the trend against DeChambeau, who had a good chance to extend the match. When the US Open champion’s putt deflected left, Scheffler and McIlroy won the first match point with a score of 3&2.
The foursomes match turned out to be tougher, with Scheffler missing a birdie opportunity on the first hole, as did McIlroy on the second. The PGA Tour team failed to capitalize on the opportunities until Scheffler placed a wedge close to the hole at the third. McIlroy didn’t even have to sink his birdie putt, as Koepka and DeChambeau made a mistake on the green, giving their opponents the advantage.
In a festive spirit, both teams continued to give gifts to each other. After Scheffler missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole, Koepka birdied the fifth, winning the first hole of the evening for his team and tying the match. Unfortunately for Koepka and DeChambeau, they again needed three putts on the deciding sixth hole, handing Scheffler and McIlroy the full point.
With two of the four points already collected, Scheffler and McIlroy simply had to draw in one of the two singles matches. Scheffler faced Koepka, leaving McIlroy and DeChambeau to face off in a rematch of sorts from this summer’s US Open.
McIlroy continued to show his power until the end, convincingly outflanking DeChambeau. Meanwhile, the world number one also dominated Koepka, whose consistency was not enough to overcome the ups and downs of his game. That evening, both PGA Tour players put in an impressive performance.
