The power of YouTube golfers has been consolidated.
Professional tours cannot get enough of the online content creators who have built audiences of millions.
The Duels is the next instalment of a professional circuit temporarily abandoning the traditions of competition golf, letting its hair down and embracing the new kids on the block.
The PGA Tour held the Creator Classic at the Tour Championship, and at the end of 2024, it revealed that three of them would be held this year, the first of which was at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
LIV Golf then signed YouTube sensation Rick Shiels as an ambassador, using his following of almost three million people on YouTube to watch him play matches with the likes of Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.
Building on this, LIV announced The Duels. The level at which the PGA Tour and LIV have exerted themselves to work with the wider sport’s most popular figures, far more popular than most players, is extraordinary. But it totally makes sense.
Shiels attempted to break 75 at Sentosa Golf Club, where LIV’s Singapore event was held. That video got over 350,000 views. According to reports, 34,000 people watched the last round of that same event won by Joaquin Niemann. Need we say more about the significance of dealing with these content creators?
In the first Duels match, six two-man teams competed to shoot the best scramble score. At the Creator Classics, it is a nine-hole stroke play competition, and the best gross score wins. Is one format better than another?
I think the format is meaningless. Golf fans want to watch these figures do what they do best: play golf and make them laugh. It’s not massively important who wins, either. Not only will this event draw in a huge audience, but the appeal of attending it on the ground increases hugely the moment the date is announced.
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It doesn’t matter if you or I watch YouTube golf or endlessly scroll through short social media clips – it might be that you can’t think of anything worse. But the vast subscriber numbers don’t lie, and the professional tours have decided it can no longer be ignored.
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LIV Golf Duels Format
The Duels Miami
Date and time:
April 5 – live on Grant Horvat’s YouTube channel
Format:
Each two-player team (one professional golfer and one content creator) will tee off on each hole. The team uses the best shot, and both play their next shots from that spot. So, it’s a traditional scramble format. The team with the lowest score after nine holes wins.
The teams:
Phil Mickelson and Grant Horvat
Joaquin Niemann and Rick Shiels
Sergio Garcia and George Bryan
Bubba Watson and Luke Kwon
Cameron Smith and Fat Perez:
Dustin Johnson and Wesley Bryan
The Duels Virginia
Date and time:
June 23 – live on the Bryan Bros Golf YouTube channel
Format:
Five two-man tee times played across a nine-hole scramble format, with each team made up of a LIV captain and a creator.
The teams:
Jon Rahm and Wesley Bryan
Phil Mickelson and Grant Horvat
Sergio Garcia and George Bryan
Luke Kwon and Bubba Watson
Henrik Stenson and Fat Perez
The Duels Dallas
Dates and time:
July 15 – live on Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube channel
Format:
Four two-man tee times played across a nine-hole scramble format, with each team made up of a LIV captain and a creator.
The teams:
Bryson DeChambeau and Fat Perez
Jon Rahm and Wesley Bryan
Phil Mickelson and Grant Horvat
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Dean Burmester and George Bryan
LIV Duels UK
Date and time:
August 1 – live on Rick Shiels YouTube channel
Format:
Team USA vs Team UK played in a nine-hole match. There are three pairs on each team, playing in a two-man scramble. All three pairs’ scores were combined to give a team total.
The teams:
UK: Rick Shiels, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Jimmy Bullard, Seb on Golf, Tyrrell Hatton
USA: Bubba Watson, Luke Kwon, Talor Gooch, Micah Morris, Kevin Na, Evan Thompson
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What do you make of the LIV Golf Duels? Tell us on X!
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