Golf fans love nothing more than watching the game’s biggest names square off. While the majors offer rare chances for LIV and PGA Tour stars to battle it out, they don’t quite carry the same buzz as one-off spectacles. Take The Showdown, for instance. So, the appetite for blockbuster exhibition matches is huge without a doubt. Which is why, now Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are preparing to team up on something new, but with Bryson DeChambeau & Co. notably left on the sidelines.

As per an X post update by Josh Carpenter, Versant, the Comcast spinoff cable network, plans to launch a fresh, all-star golf league by the end of the year. The format will pit two four-man squads against each other, captained by McIlroy and Scheffler, in a U.S. versus international, all-star skills-type competition. Unlike the Ryder Cup or The Showdown, though, LIV players won’t be involved. And because of that, sources suggest the PGA Tour has already signed off on the project.

To bring the idea to life, Versant has tapped Bryan Zuriff’s BZ Entertainment, the same team behind The Showdown and the successful Match series. The strategy is clear: create a premium product in golf’s quieter off-season, aimed squarely at fan demand for big-name battles. 

However, the shadow of The Showdown still looms. The Showdown was among the most anticipated tournaments featuring the best of two leagues. But after the event teed off, the team of Scheffler and McIlroy totally overpowered the LIV duo, DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. The fans felt bored with that event despite having high expectations. The event attracted only 625K viewers across TNT and TBS. Even the fans called it, “Total borefest… shut it off!”

This time around, though, the formula is changing. With LIV players out of the picture and production focused on sharper storytelling and format tweaks, McIlroy and Scheffler’s new league could be golf’s next off-season spectacle.

This venture marks Rory McIlroy’s second attempt to launch a league that explicitly sidelines LIV Golf players—following the debut of TGL earlier this season. With LIV professionals once again excluded, this new format risks further marginalizing those players, offering little opportunity to compete against top PGA Tour stars. And the disparity is evident: while only LIV stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, and Jon Rahm have managed occasional top-10 finishes in majors, the overall competitive balance favors PGA-aligned circuits.

Further, the sources claim that the golf event will tee off at Trump Golf Club Jupiter. Additionally, with the wide network of Versant, it will be aired on USA Network, Golf Channel, MSNBC, Oxygen, CNBC, and SYFY. Even the tentative dates for the event are planned to be after the Grant Thornton Invitational, which will tee off on December 14. 

With most of the groundwork already in place, it’s now just a matter of days before final confirmation comes from either the players or the organizers. But if the reports prove true, this would mark a second major snub for Bryson DeChambeau. Earlier, despite qualifying to represent the U.S. at the Ryder Cup, he faced a similar setback.

Bryson DeChambeau snubbed by the PGA Tour

The Ryder Cup is only a month away, and players are focused on maintaining form by competing in more events. Yet DeChambeau, despite earning automatic qualification for the American team, was left out of the Procore Championship. His ties with LIV Golf meant his entry was blocked, and his plans to join Scottie Scheffler & Co. were derailed.

Speaking on the matter, DeChambeau said, “That’s up to the [PGA] Tour and their decision to make.” He further criticized the Tour, adding, “It’s on them if they don’t let us come together as a team and play.” While LIV Golf granted him permission to participate, the PGA Tour’s stance kept him on the sidelines. The 30-year-old even argued that this lack of participation hurt Team USA—a weakness also highlighted after their loss in the 2023 Ryder Cup. However, his comments later drew heavy criticism and ultimately backfired.

The PGA Tour snub was already a bitter pill for DeChambeau. Now, just days later, another setback looms on the horizon. With LIV golfers once again being sidelined, the debate only grows louder—should they continue to be excluded from such marquee events? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.