Rory McIlroy is set to team up with Scottie Scheffler against the LIV pair of Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in a match that brings golf’s festering civil war to the course.
The idea to pit the best of the rival circuits against one another has regularly been mooted across the past year and has now been scheduled in a made-for-television showdown in Las Vegas in December.
McIlroy confirmed the plans to Golfweek, saying: ‘I’m thrilled to partner with Scottie in what promises to be an exciting duel against Bryson and Brooks in Vegas this December.
‘This isn’t just a contest between some of golf’s major champions; it’s an event designed to energize the fans. We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.’
The clash will be perceived as a bridging point between the PGA Tour and LIV at a point when merger talks between the camps are yet to reach a conclusion after 15 months of negotiations. It will also see McIlroy going head-to-head with DeChambeau again after collapsing under pressure from the American at the US Open in June.
Rory McIlroy (far left) will team up with Scottie Scheffler (second left) against Brooks Koepka (far right) and Bryson DeChambeau (second right)
DeChambeau and Koepka previously competed in The Match V in 2021 but as opponents
December’s battle of golf’s biggest rivalry will mark the tenth edition of the series of exhibitions that began in 2018 with Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson.
DeChambeau and Koepka previously competed in The Match V but as opponents, not teammates.
However, since their joint defection to LIV Golf’s rebel circuit, the pair have seemingly put their feud from their PGA Tour days aside to take on the world No. 1 and 3.
The ninth edition of the exhibition golf series brought McIlroy, Max Homa and LPGA stars Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang together for a 12-hole skins match under the lights at The Park golf course in February.
It was just McIlroy’s second time participating in The Match series and his first win. He and Tiger Woods lost to Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in The Match 7.
Meanwhile, Super Bowl champions Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes thrashed Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the golf course in Las Vegas for a huge NFL vs NBA showdown, with four of the biggest names in American sport on show, last year.
