The Golf Channel has a pre-holiday gift for golf fans.
That’s the Golf Channel Games, a made-for-TV event the network officially announced Wednesday. To be held Dec. 17, the event will feature captains Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy leading their four-player teams in what is being called a “rapid-fire” team competition.
It will be held in prime time at Trump National Golf Links in Jupiter, Fla., and televised on both the Golf Channel and USA Network.
The players who will team with Scheffler and McIlroy, the top two golfers in the world, will be announced later.
The Golf Channel Games have four innovations not seen in traditional competitions. This won’t be stroke play or match play, as in other team events. Instead, the event is made up of the following:
–Timed drive, chip and putt: Each player will try to 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 players from each team hitting from designated spots. The catch: they will use clubs from the same bag, and once a club is used, it is out of play. That includes the driver and putter.
–Timed shootout: Team members will alternate shots on three holes, and players will be stationed in set places: one on the tee, one in the fairway and two near the green. The team with the lowest score in the shortest time wins.
–Captain’s challenge: McIlroy and Scheffler will hit shots from pre-determined , including a 50-yard pitch, a 100-yard wedge, from the bunker and greenside, 50-foot putt and a 10-foot putt. The player with the lowest total proximity to the hole wins.
“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,” said Tom Knapp, executive vice president of golf and the general manager of the Golf Channel. “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.”
