By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
Brooks Koepka feels like he could be stepping into another Ryder Cup environment, match play with bragging rights at stake, even if it’s only two-man teams competing in one match instead of 12-man teams in 28 matches.
Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, each a major champion the last two years while playing for LIV Golf, take on Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy from the PGA Tour in a made-for-TV match at Shadow Creek in Nevada on Dec. 17.
Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world ranking after a nine-win season, which included another Masters and an Olympic gold medal. He faced off only four times against Koepka and DeChambeau.
Koepka was asked if Scheffler could have won so much had he faced a full lineup of stars.
“Scottie had a hell of a year. I think it’s arguably one of the best years the tour has ever seen,” Koepka said Tuesday. “Bryson had a hell of a year — he played 10 times better than I did. I played with him enough to know what he could have done on the PGA Tour. We all have a good feel how we would have fared on any tour.
“I think he (Scheffler) would have won a lot of his golf tournaments,” Koepka said. “But I think we would have put up a good fight. It would have been interesting.”
He thinks “The Crypto.com Showdown” at Shadow Creek north of Las Vegas will be enough to pique the interest of fans. Not only is it a rare chance outside the majors to see the best from LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, it has that spirit of team element.
“Let’s be real — wouldn’t you want to see a LIV versus PGA Tour Ryder Cup-style thing? That is what it is,” Koepka said. “This is growing into a big thing. That’s what will draw the fans.”
Except for a few European tour events, the stars from LIV Golf and the PGA Tour meet only four times a year in the majors. The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which funds LIV Golf, and PGA Tour Enterprises have been negotiating a commercial deal. Still to be determined is how a minority investment from PIF would reunite the golf world.
“What we’re doing is so unique for golf. It could start something going into the future,” Koepka said.
The PGA Tour signed off on the Las Vegas match by giving Scheffler and McIlroy releases to play. It is at least a start to more appearances, even if neither Koepka nor DeChambeau has any idea what that might look like.
“The showdown is a great showcase for bringing the two tours a bit together,” DeChambeau said. “And I think what we’re doing to do next year, all of us aligned, is bringing something a little bigger and badder, so we can have a couple of times — at least one more time — where we can see most of the best players on both sides competing.”
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