Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau set for ironic payday in PGA Tour-LIV Golf grudge match

Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are all set to receive an appearance fee for competing in the upcoming 'The Showdown' event in Las Vegas

By: irishmirror.ie

Oct 13 2024
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Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeCham

Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are all poised to cash in when the four stars go head-to-head in a matchplay contest in Las Vegas later this year.

The event named 'The Showdown', will see PGA Tour pair McIlroy and Scheffler team up to challenge DeChambeau and Koepka from LIV Golf. The top-tier players will clash on December 17 at Shadow Creek in Sin City, with TNT handling the broadcast.

Money talks have been at the forefront of men's professional golf for the past two years, with a financial tug-of-war ensuing between the PGA Tour and LIV following the latter's formation in June 2022.

Despite no prize money being up for grabs for the victorious duo in Vegas this winter, Sports Illustrated has revealed that all four players will still pocket an appearance fee for their participation. This news follows McIlroy's previous hopes that the match would allow fans to shift their attention away from the repetitive talk of pay checks within the sport.

"You've got the best player in the world," he commented at the Irish Open last month. "You've got two guys in Bryson and Brooks that have won majors in the last two years. You've got me in there who-I haven't done what those guys have done the last couple years but I've definitely been I feel one of the best players in the world."

"It's a way to show golf fans in the world that this is what could happen or these are the possibilities going forward. I've been saying this for a long time. I think golf and golf fans get to see us together more than four times a year. I think that's what we've tried to do. It's in the middle of December."

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"There's not a lot going on in the game of golf. So trying to get people excited about something before the season starts again. I think we all thought it was a good idea and something that hopefully is a sign of things to come in the future."

The buzz around 'The Showdown' comes as talks between PGA Tour bosses and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) push on, with the hopes of a truce being made to mend the rift between the Tour and LIV circuit. The recent Alfred Dunhill Links Championship offered spectators a glimpse of what might be brewing for the future.

Whilst McIlroy and Koepka were in action, those at the negotiation table in PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and LIV chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, also featured in the amateur side of the event. The coming together in Scotland appeared to work too, with the two former rivals seemingly enjoying each other's company after playing the same group during last week's opening round.