Let the games begin!
The top two ranked players in the world, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, will headline a rapid-fire, team golf competition later this year. The Golf Channel Games will take place Dec. 17 at Trump National Golf Links in Jupiter, Florida, with the primetime event televised live on Golf Channel and USA Network.
Scheffler and McIlroy are set to captain their own four-player teams, which will face off under the lights and under the pressure of a shot clock.
This won’t be traditional golf, either, but with the teams competing in four strategy-focused challenges:
Timed drive, chip and putt: Solo competition where players try and drive a total number of yards, chip within a certain proximity to the pin, and hole a certain number of feet of putts.
14-club challenge: Closest-to-the-pin competition involving one player from each team, where players take turns selecting a club from a single bag (including driver and putter). Once a club is used, it’s out of play. All eight players will participate in four total matchups, which will take place from a designated spot in the fairway.
Timed shootout: Four-player alternate shot on three holes with players staged throughout each hole: one on the tee, one in the fairway and two around the green. Lowest score in the shortest amount of time wins.
Captain’s challenge: McIlroy and Scheffler will hit shots from pre-determined locations, including a 100-yard wedge shot, 50-yard pitch, bunker shot, greenside shot, 50-foot putt and a 10-foot putt. The player with the lowest total proximity to the hole wins.
McIlroy likened the Golf Channel Games to the NFL Combine or NBA All-Star Game.
“They give players the chance to showcase their skills across unique challenges and offer fans a new way to enjoy the game in the postseason,” McIlroy said.
Added Scheffler: “The Golf Channel Games will be a great mix of skill, strategy, and pressure. This will be a brand-new way for the players and the fans to experience the game of golf. Everyone knows how competitive we are, and I think the Golf Channel Games will be an innovative competition that will engage the viewers.”
Additional details, including which players will complete the two teams, will be announced later.
“Our goal at Versant is to drive innovation from the strengths of our businesses,” said Tom Knapp, EVP Golf & General Manager, Golf Channel. “With that in mind, we wanted to create a new golf event that was highly competitive, showcasing the best players in the world hitting specific shots and plotting strategy with a running clock. To have the opportunity to create an annual, end-of-season golf event which includes Rory and Scottie at one of South Florida’s premier golf clubs, has been a treat. It should be fun.”
Emmy-award winners Mark Loomis (producer) and Jeff Jastrow (director) will lead Golf Channel’s production of the Golf Channel Games, which were created in partnership with EverWonder Studio and producer Bryan Zuriff. The event is being launched in association with PGA Tour Studios.
