‘Crypto.com Showdown’: TV Show, Live Stream, Rules & Golf Format | News, results, highlights, stats and rumours

Fans of top-level golf competitions, high-stakes games and unique viewing experiences will be in for a treat this week. On Tuesday, PGA stars Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will face off against LIV headliners Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in the Crypto.com Showdown.

Showdown will share many similarities with TNT Sports’ “The Match” series. Like some previous editions of The Match, this will be a team competition with a unique set of rules and with a tight broadcast format.

Fans who enjoyed watching TNT Sports’ Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley provide commentary on The Match will also be in luck as both are set to handle broadcast duties on Tuesday.

Here’s everything else you need to know about The Showdown, including scheduling and rules.

WHO: Scheffler and McIlroy vs. DeChambeau and Koepka

When: Tuesday, December 17

Where: MGM Resorts’ Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas

TV and live stream: TNT and Max

Prize money: “Multimillion dollar” wallet paid in CRO cryptocurrency, according to Crypto.com

The showdown will be a competition between PGA and LIV stars, although the four competitors seem to see it as more of a collaborative effort than any kind of grudge match between rival leagues.

“We’re going to do something basically outside of both tournaments to give something back to the fans,” McIlroy said per Sean Zak by Golf.com. “To show them you know, at least let them know we’re trying to provide entertainment – the players want to play together more often.”

For fans who enjoyed watching McIlroy and DeChambeau battle it out at the US Open or all four competitors on the course at Augusta, this should be a fun reminder of what that looks like.

However, the Showdown will be very different from a traditional golf tournament. This will be an 18-hole team event divided into three six-hole stages.

The first phase will contain best ball rules. For those unfamiliar, best ball is a format where each teammate plays their own shots on each hole, with the lowest score counting for the team. It’s a format that can allow players to gamble a bit, as only the lowest score counts.

Expect team strategies to come into play often during the first phase. Seam Edoardo Molinari of Golf Digest explained, conservative play could be the key on this course.

“Shadow Creek’s fairways are a little tighter than the typical PGA Tour venue and there is a high penalty for missing them. There are only three holes (Nos. 6, 14, 18) where it really pays to be aggressive outside tee.” he wrote.

That probably won’t prevent a few risk-reward shots during prime ball games.

The second stage will feature changing shots. As the name suggests, teammates will alternate shots on each hole to provide a team score. We are far less likely to see risky play at this stage.

The final section will feature six hole singles play.

As for the TNT broadcast, it should feature many of the same elements that fans have come to know and love from The Match. However, unlike the recent “The Match: Superstars” event, which was pre-recorded and edited, The Showdown will be a live event.

It should all be familiar to three of the four competitors. Koepka and DeChambeau battled it out in “The Match: Bryson vs. Brooks,” while McIlroy outlasted Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang and Max Homa in “The Match IX.”