How to watch ‘The Showdown’ golf – and everything else

Golf fans have one more major event to look forward to in 2024: a PGA Tour/LIV Golf grudge match.

The made-for-TV bout was announced in September, with few details offered at the time.

What we did know is that it would pit two of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour against two of LIV Golf’s most high-profile players.

Of course, that would have to be Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler clashing with Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.

Here’s everything we know about the match…

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Who is playing in the match?

In what can be seen as a potential thawing of relations between the rival sides, McIlroy and Scheffler will team up against Koepka and DeChambeau.

Billed as ‘The Crypto.com Showdown’, it will not be a continuation of TNT’s ‘The Match’, a series of exhibitions that launched in 2018.

McIlroy, Koepka and DeChambeau all appeared in versions of ‘The Match’, including when the LIV pair battled it out in 2021.

In a text to Eamon Lynch, McIlroy said he was ‘thrilled’ to be competing in “what promises to be an exciting duel.”

What is the format?

At the time of announcement, golf fans were only aware that this was an 18-hole match with no prize money.

But the format has been finalised and the Showdown will be split into three different parts to determine the winner.

The first six holes will use best ball rules, with alternate shot on the next six holes and singles concluding proceedings on the last six.

It will be played under the lights and in a revolutionary move for golf, cryptocurrency will be awarded as the prize.

That’s right, this will be the first ever major golf event with a multimillion-dollar purse to be paid in CRO cryptocurrency.

Where will the match be played?

At the time of the initial announcement, the venue for the match had not been confirmed.

But, as reported by Lynch, it will take place at Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas.

One of the world’s most exclusive clubs, it’s an 18-hole course located in Nevada that is owned by MGM Resorts International.

In 2019, the green fee was around $600. In 2023, though, it became the most expensive tee time in America, raising its green fee from $1,000 to $1,250.

FOS has reported that a six-year deal has been struck for these matches with MGM, with Shadow Creek named the US host venue.

The match is set to alternate between US and International sites, while there are hopes the Middle East will host in 2025.

It’s not affiliated with either the PGA Tour or LIV Golf and it’s unclear how the circuits will acknowledge the event.

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When will the PGA Tour/LIV Golf match be played?

While no official date was confirmed at the event’s launch, fans now have a date in the diary to keep clear.

The match will take place on Tuesday, December 17, with no tour events scheduled during the festive period.

The Hero World Challenge in Albany, a PGA Tour event, will be played two weeks before, while LIV Golf is in its off-season ahead of 2025.

How can you watch it?

Bad news for golf fans in the UK: ‘The Showdown’ is being exclusively broadcasted in the United States.

The match will air on TNT, which is owned by Warner Brothers Discovery and tee times have been confirmed.

Meanwhile, streams will be available on TBS and truTV.

It is scheduled to get underway at 6pm Eastern Time – which is 11pm in the UK. That means the match could end around 3am.