Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have chosen two of their closest friends to be among their respective teammates for the debut of the Optum Golf Channel Games.
On Monday, Golf Channel announced the full team rosters for the Made-for-TV rapid-fire golf competition featuring McIlroy and Scheffler as captains of four-man teams. Team Rory will include his pal Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open Champion, two-time European Ryder Cup winning captain and former World No. 1 Luke Donald, and DP World Tour winner Haotong Li. Team Scottie will feature his buddy Sam Burns, a five-time PGA Tour winner and recent U.S. Ryder Cup teammate, 2011 PGA Champion and 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, and former World No. 1 amateur and rising star Luke Clanton.
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The Optum Golf Channel Games will be comprised of the following challenges:
Timed Drive Competition – Players compete in head-to-head duels with two minutes on the clock and must combine power and accuracy to launch drives into a scoring grid.
Timed Short Game Competition – A combination of chipping and putting precision is required in the Short Game Challenge. Players hit shots from multiple locations around the green before tackling a putting gauntlet of putts from varying distances – with just three minutes to complete both challenges.
14-Club Challenge – Two Players, One Bag – Two teams of two players from each side will square off in the 14-Club Challenge, drawing a club from a single bag (including driver and putter) in a closest-to-the-pin competition from a designated distance in the fairway. All 14 clubs, seven shots per player per side – and once a club is used, it’s out. Each team will also pick a player to hit a lefty 15th shot.
Timed Shootout – A four-player alternate shot on four holes with teammates staged on the tee (1), in the fairway (1), and around the green (2). Finish with the best score in the shortest amount of time…the clock is running!
Captains’ Challenge – Rory vs. Scottie – Each player hits from predetermined locations. Shots will include iron shots from a variety of distances, as well as wedge, pitch, bunker shot, greenside shot, 30-ft putt, and 10-ft putt.
The competition will air live in primetime on Golf Channel and USA Network on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at Trump National Golf Club Jupiter, in Jupiter, Fla.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler rosters for Optum Golf Channel Games
