The ongoing battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is certain to come under close scrutiny when a handful of their star names go head-to-head later this year.
PGA Tour duo Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will meet LIV Golf pair Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in December.
The reported two-v-two match is set to take place in Las Vegas, with plenty of pride at stake for the players of the rival tours.
Golf fans are split about the TV contest, which will see four multiple major champions come together on the course.
LIV Golf and the PGA Tour were involved in a framework agreement last year, but little updates have taken place since then.
Smylie Kaufman expects PGA Tour and LIV Golf discussion in TV contest
Justin Rose is excited for the ‘compelling’ match, which is certainly going to attract plenty of interest across the PGA Tour and LIV.
Smylie Kaufman has now shared his thoughts on the contest, saying on the latest episode of The Smylie Show: “I think the interesting thing will be just about what we learn from the players on what they want to voice, whether it’s Bryson or Brooks, probably Bryson, saying something along the lines of, ‘you know we could have this all the time if you guys just do a deal’ or something like that.
“I think that’s where it’s going to start getting more heated. I think you’ll definitely hear some of that. It’d be shocking to me if there weren’t any jabs of some sort.
“I think Rory would probably just nod his head in agreement and Scottie would be like ‘what are you talking about?’”
Will Bryson DeChambeau have something to say to Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler?
The split in golf is certain to rumble on for the foreseeable future, with negotiations between the traditional tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which funds LIV, having been taking place for over a year.
McIlroy has, of course, been heavily involved in those discussions, which look like they could surface in Las Vegas later this year.
Perhaps the four major champions will want to avoid any such talk and focus on their game, although that could prove an impossible task given the nature of the event.
Regardless of what is discussed on the course, it is certain to be an intriguing watch for fans, many of which have undoubtedly missed having the game’s top stars competing in the same events.
DeChambeau may have raised the issue during his US Open major win, where he narrowly edged out McIroy, but perhaps now he will have a more relaxed environment to really share his thoughts on the matter.
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