Watch The Showdown to see the hotly-anticipated PGA Tour vs LIV Golf grudge match featuring Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. This article explains how to watch The Showdown golf online with a live stream, on TV, and from anywhere with a VPN.
The Showdown key information
• Date: December 17, 2024
• Venue: MGM Resorts' Shadow Creek course, Las Vegas, Nevada
• TV: TNT Sports, TBS, truTV (US)
• Live stream: Max (US)
• Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN risk-free
The Crypto.com Showdown – to give it the full, sponsor-correct name – is a one-day, made-for-TV event featuring a clash between pairs from the once-warring golf factions: the historic PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed upstart, LIV Golf.
World No.1 Scheffler is teaming up with multiple major winner McIlroy to take on the LIV pair of Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau over 18 holes at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. Scheffler, by dint of winning the FedEx Cup, is the reigning PGA Tour champion; and Northern Irishman McIlroy is the reigning DP World Tour champion, having won the European Tour’s Race to Dubai for a sixth time.
They will not be taking on the winner of the LIV Golf League, as that is Jon Rahm, but rather the two men who have won Majors while being members of the LIV Golf League: this year’s US Open champion DeChambeau, and last year’s PGA Championship winner Koepka.
The Showdown will be contested in three formats over 18 holes at the beautiful Shadow Creek course in Las Vegas.
Read on for our guide on how to watch The Showdown online, on TV, and from anywhere.
► The Showdown: What You Need To Know
Watch The Showdown golf from anywhere
With broadcasting restricted to the US, many golf fans will be wondering how they can watch the Showdown if they're outside the country.
Fortunately, you can still access the streaming services you subscribe to, even when you're away from home, thanks to a handy piece of software known as a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network – to give it the full name – can make your devices appear to be in any location, bypassing geo-restrictions so you can watch the things you've signed up for. It's perfect for watching golf from anywhere, and it comes with a host of internet security benefits, too.
Our expert colleagues over at TechRadar have tested loads of VPNs and they reckon NordVPN is the best VPN provider out there right now.
Watch The Showdown golf in the US
Golf fans in the US can watch The Showdown live on television or via live stream, across TNT, TBS, TruTV, and Max.
TNT, part of the Warner Bros. Discovery stable, is the main rights-holder, with simulcasts going out across TBS and TruTV. All three are available on most cable TV packages.
Prices for traditional cable TV vary by location and provider, but nowadays there are plenty of good cord-cutting streaming services that allow you to watch cable TV channels online.
The Showdown Timings
• Date: December 17
• TV start time: 6pm ET / 3pm PT
Chief among them is Sling. You can get TNT and TBS on either the Sling Blue or Sling Orange packages, while TruTV is only on Sling Blue. Sling Orange costs $40 per month, while Sling Blue is slightly more at $45. Both plans, however, come with a half-price discount for your first month.
Fubo is another cord-cutting streaming service through which you'll be able to watch The Showdown, but is the pricier provider at $79.99 per month. That said, you do get a lot of sport, and you can get your first month nearly half price, at $44.99.
TBS and TruTV have their own online streaming platforms for their traditional cable TV subscribers to access, but for a dedicated streamer, you can head to Warner Bros. Discovery's Max platform, where prices start from $9.99 per month. You'll need the B/R Sports add-on, but handily it is included for free right now, for a limited time.
Is The Showdown golf on TV in the UK?
The Showdown golf is not on TV in the UK.
TNT Sports does operate in the UK but as things stand The Showdown broadcast is limited to the US version of TNT. The event is not listed on the schedules for the TNT Sports TV channels nor for their streaming home, Discovery+.
You cannot get Max in the UK via the Max app or website because Max's parent company, Warner Bros Discovery, has licensing deals with UK broadcaster Sky that don't expire until 2026.
If you currently find yourself in the UK, you can still watch the Showdown by using a VPN, such as NordVPN, to access the streaming services you subscribe to back in the US.
Can I watch The Showdown golf in Canada?
The Showdown is not being televised in Canada. None of the US services showing the event will work in Canada due to geo-restrictions.
If you're travelling over the border, you'll need a VPN to unblock the streaming services you use back in the US.
Is The Showdown on TV in Australia?
Likewise, there is no Australian broadcaster for The Showdown.
The Showdown: Format
The Showdown will be played over 18 holes but in multiple formats. The formats mirror those used in the Ryder Cup: Fourballs, Foursomes, and Singles.
The course will be divided in three, so the first six holes will be Fourballs, where all four players play their own ball and the team's score is that of the lower-scoring teammate.
Holes 7 through 12 will be Foursomes, in which each pair plays alternate shots with one ball, taking turns to tee off.
The final stretch of holes 13 through 18 will be Singles, where Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau will go head-to-head, with Scottie Scheffler up against Brooks Koepka.
► 30 Things You Didn’t Know About Brooks Koepka
► 30 Things You Didn't Know About Scottie Scheffler
► 40 Things You Didn't Know About Rory McIlroy
The Showdown: TV schedule
Tuesday 17th December
• TNT, TBS, truTV, Max: Coverage starts at 6pm ET / 3pm PT.
The Showdown broadcast team: Commentators and pundits
TNT's broadcast of The Showdown will be anchored by the award-winning Ernie Johnson.
The 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman will provide analysis alongside Charles Barkley and David Feherty, one of the voices of LIV Golf broadcasting.
Out on the course, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson will serve as an 'on-course correspondent', a role he has already performed on TNT. Joining Watson in the roving reporter role will be the sports broadcaster Lauren Jbara.
TNT says it will deliver "unparalleled all-access live coverage" in which open microphones will capture the players interacting with one another, and even with the broadcast team.
Disclaimer
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