Rory, Scottie dominate Brooks, Bryson in the Showdown
Chalk one up for the PGA TOUR over LIV Golf after Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler scored a dominant win over Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka on Tuesday night at the Crypto.com Showdown.
McIlroy and Scheffler raced out of the gates at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas to win both of the six-hole team sessions and take a 2-0 lead to the singles matches. McIlroy shone brightest from the jump, birdieing his opening two holes to give the PGA TOUR side the early edge.
If McIlroy's first two holes were the appetizer, consider his performance on the par-5 fourth the main course. With DeChambeau sitting just six feet away for eagle, the World No. 3 somehow poured in a deep putt to put all the pressure on the U.S. Open champion to match. DeChambeau pulled his attempt past the hole on the left to secure the victory for the PGA TOUR in the opening six-hole session.
Unfortunately, that was a sign of things to come for the LIV duo of Koepka and DeChambeau, with neither able to get anything going in either team format. Koepka struggled off the tee in alternate shot, putting his partner in tricky situations throughout. With the PGA TOUR pair flashing steady form, it wasn't much of a contest leading up to singles.
Scheffler and McIlroy needed just a half-point from the two singles contests to secure the overall victory, and the World No. 1 supplied that with two holes to play in his head-to-head matchup with Koepka. McIlroy was also leading in his battle with DeChambeau to give the PGA TOUR the victory or lead in all four formats.