7 reasons why The Showdown will be the best golf show of all time

For sports fans of a certain age and perspective, the glory days of exhibition golf are long gone. They peaked on Thanksgiving weekends in the 1980s, when Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Gary Player and other stars gathered for the Skins Game. Maybe it was the era of the times, which seemed innocent in retrospect, but those television combinations felt like times, it was done in what was then the novel format, with a welcome combination of goofiness and gravity. Although the situation was simple, there was money – and a measure of pride – in the line of legends who still managed to spin the ball. At critical times, tensions arose.

But that was the time.

When it comes to made-for-TV one-offs, it’s all been downhill since, despite concerted efforts to stop the slide. In recent years, the power of the game has tried all sorts of tricks: dropping celebrities, changing formats, signing up wisecracking announcers and more. Aside from the standout moments, (such as Tom Brady’s fairway exit in the second iteration of the Game, and the subsequent back-to-back with Charles Barkley), the result has been a mix of disappointing snoozers. , postponed – take your pick – foul play, painful blitzes and unfair payoffs that underscored the mercenary nature of it all. If anything, the sponsored rallies gave off an air of desperation: the empty cry of ratings from a niche game.

That’s bad news. Here’s the good news: Thanks to a combination of features, we come up with something that can finally fly. On Tuesday, at 6 pm EST, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will meet against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in an 18-hole match at Shadow Creek, Las Vegas. The action will air on TNT, TBS and TruTV, and air on MAX in the United States, with highlights available on Bleacher Report.

No, it’s not a Skins game. But here are 7 reasons why this prime-time tournament stands out as the best we’ve ever seen.

1. PGA Tour vs. LIV overlay

Ever since men’s professional golf split, fans and players alike have rightly lamented that the best in the game rarely get a chance to mix it up. Although Showdown doesn’t take up a lot of space, it gives us the kind of conflict we crave, with stars representing rival circuits, in a competition that feels ripe with symbolic meaning. McIlroy and Scheffer, two of the biggest names on the PGA Tour, face LIV A-listers DeChambeau and Koepka, both of whom won majors while flying the flag in the rebel league. Call it a proxy war in golf’s ongoing civil war.

2. The Bryson/Rory subplot

The last time the two men played over the weekend in the same event, they co-wrote a story of tragedy and triumph, as McIlroy’s collapse at the US Open opened the way for DeChambeau’s heroics from the final hole. Great golfers have short memories, but there’s no chance any player will forget that Sunday at Pinehurst. Even if it’s not mentioned in their microphone interviews, it will come to their minds during Showdown. We hope you will be thinking about it too.

3. The Bryson/Brooks subplot

With their different personalities and playing styles, DeChambeau and Koepka make an unusual pair. And, in fact, they often don’t see eye to eye, in a spat that spreads on social media splashing and taunting chants from fans. Although the attempt to cash in on their bad blood went down when the two went head-to-head on a version of The Match, that’s behind them now. Brooks and Bryson are now offshoots. Or at least united in a shared purpose. As Hollywood proved with Batman vs. Superman, good at the box office where enemies become friends.

4. Two words: Scottie Scheffler

Of course, any of the four stars in this lineup can change any course they play. But none of the others played golf like Scheffler, who is riding a historic season, having just won in his latest start. The soft-spoken World No. 1 can make yet another statement with his chops by turning Showdown into the Scottie Scheffler Show. And if not, the footwork alone is worth the watch.

5. Ryder Cup format

Part of what makes the Ryder Cup so compelling is the flexibility as the format alternates between best ball and another shot before moving on to each play. In a smart decision, the Showdown will use that template a bit more, with six holes each of four balls, foursomes and singles matches. What adds to the facts is that those singles are paired yet to be revealed.

6. Location

Anytime the greenbacks have a comma in them (in this case, $1,250!), the splurge is more than most of us can afford. But Shadow Creek is a sight to behold, a Tom Fazio waterfall-filled design that doubles as a feat of engineering. And this is an opportunity to watch it for free.

7. Broadcasting team

The PGA Tour faithful who miss the likes of Bryson and Brooks week in and week out may yearn for the lilting brand of David Feherty, the popular commentator who jumped into LIV. Feherty is back at this event, on a broadcast team that represents both sides of the game’s divide (the voices of Ernie Johnson and Trevor Immelman will sound familiar to those who follow PGA Tour broadcasts). As a curiosity, Bubba Watson will be on hand as an academic reporter, and talk king Charles Barkley will also be in the booth. There may come a time when we get bored with the Round Mound of Rebound behind the mic, but that’s likely to happen as soon as he breaks.