QBE Shootout tee times, TV coverage, prize money as Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson take on PGA Tour stars

Published 07/12/2022 at 09:50 GMT

Team golf is the order of things in the United States this week. While many will be drawn to watch Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in The Match, eyeballs will also be on the QBE Shootout. Two stars of the LPGA Tour in Lexi Thompson and Nelly Korda will be competing against the men over three rounds on the Gold Course Tiburon Golf Club.

‘The goal is to play the major championships and one or two more’ - Tiger

The golfing year is winding down, with team events the focus of attention this week.

Many eyes will be drawn to floodlit action at Pelican Golf Club, as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy take on Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in The Match.

That is sure to be a spectacular affair, which you can watch live on Eurosport and discovery+, but the focus is on semi-serious action in the QBE Shootout.

Masters

Scheffler says golf 'fourth in line' after clinching second Masters title

15/04/2024 at 08:52

A total of 12 teams will tee it up at Tiburon Golf Club, where they will compete over three rounds.

It may not feature big beasts of the PGA Tour, Max Homa is the highest-ranked player in the field at 16, but it does have two superstars of the LPGA Tour in the shape of Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson.

Thompson will partner Maverick McNealy, while Korda teams up with Deny McCarthy - and it will be fascinating to see how they compete against the men.

It will not be lost on Korda and Thompson that Linn Grant beat the men on the DP World Tour by nine shots at the Scandinavian Mixed earlier this year

Players will compete over three rounds of differing formats. Round one is a scramble, which is where both players hit tee shots and then choose the best option for the second shot, and both players go again and so on and so forth until the ball is in the hole. With both players getting to go each time, scoring tends to be low.

Round two is a modified alternate shot, where both play off the tee and then choose the best ball - alternating from there until the ball is in the hole.

The third round is a simple better ball, which as the term suggests means both players complete the hole and put the lowest score on the card.

The Course: Tiburon Golf Club, Gold Course

Close to Naples in Florida, Tiburon is the idea of golfing paradise for many. A temperate climate with two fantastic courses to choose from.

Greg Norman designed the Black and the Gold Courses, and it is the latter that will be in play this week.

Korda and Thompson will have something of a knowledge advantage over their competitors, as a composite track - featuring nine holes from the Gold and nine from the Black - hosts the LPGA Tour’s season-ending CME Championship.

'It's been a tough year' - in-tears Korda after defending Pelican Women’s Championship

The Gold Course was opened for play in 1998, and as you’d expect of a resort course in Florida, there’s lots of water and sand in play.

Tiburon features large greens and with it being a resort course open to the general public - for those willing to pay the green fee - it is extremely playable and the main way to challenge the pros is the length it can be stretched out to - with it playing over 7,300 yards from the championship tees. But as has been proved, length is not a true defence and if the conditions are benign scoring will be low.

Prize Money: $3.6 million (£2.6 million), with the winner’s share being $900,000 (£807,000)

Format: 54-hole multi-format team competition

Tournament record: 179 - Harris English and Matt Kuchar (2020)

TV Coverage: The QBE Shootout is live on Sky Sports in the UK.