McIlroy and Scheffler lead Golf
Channel Games as golf revives the silly season
[December 17, 2025]
By DOUG FERGUSON
It turns out there's still a place for what amounts to the “silly
season” in golf.
The Skins Game returned under a slightly different format — held on
Black Friday instead of the weekend after Thanksgiving, and a
reverse purse that added to the stakes. It wasn't as must-see as
when it began in the 1980s, but it was a fun option before football
started.
The Grant Thornton Invitational is now mixed team, a big
improvement.
Next up might be the most compelling of all. The “Golf Channel
Games” makes its debut Wednesday night at Trump National in West
Palm Beach, Florida, featuring teams led by Scottie Scheffler and
Rory McIlroy, the two biggest names in golf.
They will compete for points in five competitions, most of them
where time is a factor, that include a driving grid, chipping and
putting, and a 14-club challenge in which a club is out of the
rotation once it has been used.
“Just the opportunity to showcase our game in a different way,”
McIlroy said. “Sort of lean into other sports in a way, like the NFL
combine or the 3-pointer contest in basketball or the Home Run Derby
in baseball. It's just a chance to try something new.”
McIlroy's team features his Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, best
mate Shane Lowry and Haotong Li of China, who rarely lacks for
entertainment. Scheffler has his Ryder Cup captain, Keegan Bradley,
best mate Sam Burns and Luke Clanton.
The time clock should keep it moving — two minutes for the driving
challenge, three for the short game and one format of alternate shot
with players positioned on the tee, fairway and two around the
green. Lowest score in the shortest amount of time wins.
“I think it's going to be a fun way to compete at the end of the
year for us, in a time where there's not a ton of stuff on the golf
calendar," Scheffler said.
Both team captains are geared for this. Scheffler is renowned for
competing in all sorts of games with the older pros at Royal Oaks,
whether it was a putting contest or trying to hit the pole on the
driving range.
The 14-club challenge has his attention, especially if a putter is
all that's left for a full shot.
“I’ll probably try and use a backup putter for the 14-club
challenge,” he said. “I'm definitely not going to be out on the
range ripping full putters trying to figure out that shot. I'm just
going to figure that one out as naturally as possible within the
competition.”
McIlroy said he grew up playing two balls and kept the worst score
and best score on each hole. And he recalled some fun games they did
during commercial shoots, one in particular.
“They actually made me do a flop shot over Tiger, and I was probably
as nervous as I've been in a long time,” McIlroy said. “His body is
already banged up. I didn't want to add to it.”
Last chance
Two players are worth noting at the Mauritius Open this week with
the Masters on their minds.
Ryan Gerard is No. 57 in the world ranking and likely would need to
finish fourth to move into the top 50 in the final ranking and earn
a spot at Augusta National. Dan Brown of England is No. 72 and would
have to win to have a chance.
Otherwise, Sam Stevens would hang on for a top-50 spot. That would
give the Masters field five American professionals who have yet to
win on the PGA Tour.
Canter’s decision
Laurie Canter played the inaugural season on LIV Golf when he didn’t
have full status on the European tour. When there was no room for
him in the Saudi-funded league, he returned to the European tour,
won enough to crack the top 50 in the world and this year earned one
of the 10 PGA Tour cards through his finish on the Race to Dubai.
And then he turned down the PGA Tour and joined LIV Golf, but not
without plenty of thought into his future.
“You’re weighing up all these things,” Canter told The Times of
London. “Where am I going to play my best golf and how do I feel I
can do that and be compensated in the best way that I can? But it is
also the lifestyle.”
Canter said the PGA Tour is “probably the pinnacle of tour golf,”
but that he still enjoys playing in Europe and the Englishman is
“passionate about playing events in the DP World Tour.”
[to top of second column] |
Scottie Scheffler, of the United States, watches his tee-off at the
fourth hole during the final round of the Hero World Challenge PGA
Tour at the Albany Golf Club, in New Providence, Bahamas, Sunday,
Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
“If you’re going out to play on the PGA Tour and
you can live in America, that’s obviously achievable,” he told The
Times. “But at this point, I don’t want a life like that. My family
is happy and settled where they are. I have two daughters (ages 3
and 1). Travelling back and forth to America 30 weeks of the year
isn’t sustainable.”
Raised hands of applause for Hall
Kevin Hall has been chosen by his peers to receive the APGA Adrian
Stills Award, which comes with a $25,000 award to support golf and
$10,000 he gets for the charity of his choice.
Stills co-founded the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour
in 2010.
Hall, a former Big 10 Conference champion at Ohio State, has stayed
in the game despite being deaf since he was 2. The Cincinnati native
has been part of the APGA Tour since the start. The circuit is
dedicated to inspiring an inclusive future in golf.
Hall, 43, won the APGA Daugherty Foundation Championship in St.
Louis and had four other top 10s.
“APGA Tour has been such a big part of my professional golf career
and opened so many doors not only for me, but for many other amazing
golfers. None of it would have been possible without Adrian’s vision
and unwavering dedication over the past 15 years,” Hall said.
Hall has played seven times on the PGA Tour. He won the Butterfield
Bermuda APGA Championship in 2024 to earn an exemption into the PGA
Tour event in Bermuda. He turned it down to compete in the
Deaflympics in Tokyo, where he won the silver medal in October.
Kiwi and the Rising Sun
The PGA Tour of Australasia and Japan Golf Tour are getting together
for the first time to create the ISPS Handa Japan-Australasia
Championship on March 5-8 at Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club.
It’s part of a three-week stretch of golf in New Zealand, with the
new event preceded by the New Zealand PGA and New Zealand Open. And
it will be the first big event in Auckland since 2004.
ISPS Handa is a prominent sponsor of golf worldwide.
“The relationship between Japan and Australasia is vitally
important, and we are very pleased to help foster it through this
championship,” said Haruhisa Handa, founder and chairman of ISPS
Handa.
Gavin Kirkman, the CEO of PGA of Australia, said the co-sanctioned
event would strengthen the relationship between the tours and
provide players an international stage.
Divots
Of the five players who earned PGA Tour cards through Q-school,
medalist A.J. Ewart was the only one who had to go through the
second stage of Q-school. ... The Memorial generated $5.3 million
for charities in central Ohio, the first time it surpassed the $5
million mark in a year. ... Matt Kuchar and C.T. Pan of Taiwan have
been selected to be captions of the Junior Presidents Cup teams at
Medinah this September. ... The Epson Tour has released a
19-tournament schedule for 2026 that will visit 14 states, with
three tournaments in Florida and three in Michigan. The top 15
players earn LPGA Tour cards for the following season.
Stat of the week
Scottie Scheffler's statistical ranking improved or stayed level in
nine out of 13 main categories compared with 2024. The exceptions
were driving accuracy (23rd in 2024 to 59th), birdie average (1st to
2nd), greens in regulation (3rd to 11th) and sand saves (70th to
90th).
Final word
“It was probably the hardest par I've ever made in my life.” —
Marcelo Rozo of Colombia, who made par on the final hole of Q-school
to avoid a playoff and secure a PGA Tour card for the first time.
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