Brooks Koepka mocked Rory McIlroy’s major championship drought (Image: Getty)
brutally mocked decade-long wait for a major championship ahead of The Showdown. The exhibition event will see stars clash with rebels at Shadow Creek Golf Course.
McIlroy and Koepka will be on opposing sides. Scottie Scheffler will join McIlroy, while Bryson DeChambeau is set to partner Koepka in the December 17 event.
The Northern Irishman has not won a major championship in over 10 years. His last triumph at one of the tournaments was his 2014 PGA Championship victory. The 35-year-old has come exceptionally close to ending his drought this year.
However, Koepka could not resist a subtle dig at his rival’s lack of success. In an interview with , the American insisted that the LIV Golf stars would win The Showdown as three of the players have all won major championships since McIlroy lifted his last.
The comment was made in jest but was reportedly out of earshot from McIlroy.
All four players will compete in The Showdown, an event made for television. It is anticipated that they will be mic’d up, with fans able to hear the discussions among the stars as they take on the course.
“I think it’ll be fun. I feel like when I’m playing and competing on Tour, I don’t love to be distracted,” Scheffler said in the same interview.
“But with this being mic’d up and us talking more to each other than we would in a typical tournament, this will be more interactive, more relaxed, more like what I do at home.”
Rory McIlroy will be desperate to beat the LIV Golf duo in The Showdown (Image: Getty)
Given the sometimes hostile relationship between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, Dechambeau expects there to be plenty of will to win, despite the event being an exhibition. He added: “It’s a them-versus-us sort of mentality. We’ve been waiting on a grudge match like this for a while.”
Reports in November suggested that a £1billion peace deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf was set to be signed. However, an agreement has not been formally announced ahead of the New Year.
Tiger Woods, who has been involved in the discussions, provided an update earlier this week. The golf icon said: “Wish we had something more concrete. Still working through it, it’s happening daily. Things are moving and they’re constructive.”
Fans can watch The Showdown on TNT Sports.