We now know who will join Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler in a new primetime event next month.
Golf Channel announced on Monday the complete lineup for the “Optum Golf Channel Games,” a made-for-TV competition headlined by the top two golfers in the world, airing on Golf Channel and USA Network on Dec. 17 at Trump National Golf Club Jupiter in Florida.
McIlroy and Scheffler will both headline their respective four-player teams. Team Rory will also consist of Shane Lowry, Luke Donald and Haotong Li. Team Scottie will include Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns and Luke Clanton. Ironically, both teams have a similar makeup: the stars are joined by one of their closest friends on tour (McIlroy/Lowry and Scheffler/Burns), their recent Ryder Cup captains (Donald and Bradley) and, finally, a couple of wild cards in Li and Clanton, who are both new to these types of primetime TV events.
The format for this one was announced in September, and it will consist of timed competitions (driving, short game and alternate shot), a 14-club challenge (two players, one bag and eliminating used clubs) and a captains’ challenge between McIlroy and Scheffler.
You can read more about the specific competition details here.
The debut of Golf Channel Games comes a year after Scheffler and McIlroy teamed up to face LIV’s Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in a more traditional 18-hole event played at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas on Dec. 17, 2024.
According to Josh Carpenter of the Sports Business Journal, that event drew just 625,000 viewers across TNT and TBS, which in comparison would rank as the second-lowest of any of “The Match” events.
The start time for the Golf Channel Games has yet to be released.