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A golf match play event that will feature a team of PGA Tour players going up against LIV Golf players will be happening later this year, according to Eamon Lynch of Golfweek.
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will take on Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in the latest edition of “The Match,” which will air in December on TNT.
“This isn’t just a contest between some of golf’s major champions; it’s an event designed to energize the fans,” McIlroy said in a text to Lynch. “We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.”
Previous editions of “The Match” have featured Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson, as well as other sports stars like Steph Curry, Charles Barkley, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, among others, as part of teams with PGA Tour golfers.
This year’s “The Match” will have the PGA Tour vs. LIV battle as a backdrop. But while golf’s civil war continues, this will not be the first time players from the different tours will be facing one another since the split. LIV players have taken part in the four major tournaments — The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open. DeChambeau won the U.S. Open this year for the second time since 2020 and Koepka won the PGA Championship for the third time in 2023.
PGA/LIV talks continue
The PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund announced a “framework agreement” on June 6, 2023. Not much has been finalized since and negotiations continue on following a self-imposed Dec. 31, 2023 deadline.
PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan said last week at the Tour Championship in Atlanta that they still don’t have a timeline or a new deadline in place. While he insisted that talks are consistent and “enhanced,” it will continue to take time.
It’s unclear what specifically is holding up negotiations. According to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, significant “sticking points” have been related to the future of team golf and whether or not LIV Golf members could return to the Tour without discipline.
McIlroy said last week that both sides are running out of time to make something happen.
“I think if it doesn’t happen soon, then honestly, I think PIF and the Saudis are going to have to look at alternative options, right?” McIlroy said. “I’d say that’s the next step in all of this if something doesn’t get done.”