After plenty of build-up and a bit of trash talk, The Showdown has concluded with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as champions.
The PGA Tour made no reference to The Showdown, while LIV Golf certainly hyped up its duo Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
DeChambeau promoted The Showdown with Scheffler, with Northern Irishman McIlroy having joined the American trio in Las Vegas.
And it was the PGA Tour duo who emerged victorious in The Showdown, with Scheffler and McIlroy overcoming DeChambeau and Koepka at Shadow Creek.
The exhibition clash comes at a time when talks are ongoing between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, with a resolution still not confirmed.
Many golf fans left disappointed with The Showdown in Las Vegas
Perhaps there was plenty of pride at stake then between the players, with Scheffler and McIlroy able to claim the bragging rights with their success.
But it’s fair to say The Showdown has drawn mixed reactions from golf fans, one of which wrote on X: “Showdown is really bad TV. Wow. Announcing is abysmal and the golf isn’t much better. I would put a fork on these golf challenges.”
A second fan concurred: “I watched all 4+ hours of the Showdown at Shadow Creek so you don’t have to. Big winner: Rory McIlroy’s putting. Dude was lights out. Big loser: Bryson was terrible and took his ear piece out for a bit. Bigger loser: these matches… this was so dull. You’d have to pay me to sit through another one of these.”
READ MORE: Who is Bryson DeChambeau? A look inside the life of the big-hitting LIV Golf star
Further frustration arrived from others, who said: “Scottie Scheffler & Rory McIlroy defeat Brooks Koepka & Bryson DeChambeau at The Showdown. Overall a very uneventful match with little trash talking or drama…”
And: “The Showdown was a huge disappointment as the event was a dull snoozefest. Bryson, the ‘needle mover,’ struggled throughout the match and appeared miserable throughout the evening. I don’t believe the event delivered the message it wanted to send.”
Other golf fans enjoy watching Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlory win The Showdown
There was, however, plenty of support for The Showdown, with Dan Rapaport writing on X: “There’s always a ton to nitpick with these made-for-TV events but I’m a simple person – put Bryson, Rory, Brooks and Scottie playing golf on my TV on a Tuesday night in December and I’m going to watch and I’m going to enjoy it. Today is no different.”
Other fans agreed, commenting: “This is a great event to watch, and being able to hear their on course conversations is really nice,” and “This is really awesome Tuesday night television. I’m thankful for it!”
Further support for The Showdown arrived: “Yes! This is so fun to watch. More exciting that I would have thought. Lots of down time with only one group playing but so far so good!”
READ MORE: Shocked golf fans react to Bryson DeChambeau’s ‘savage’ dig at Rory McIlroy before the Showdown
LIV Golf meanwhile highlighted golf and its fans as the clear winners of the clash, despite their icons DeChambeau and Koepka losing to Scheffler and McIlroy.
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