The TaylorMade Driving Relief charity skins match featuring Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson versus Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff tees off at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday live on NBC. What do you need to know? Our staff breaks it down.
Who wins (i.e. earns more money) and why? McIlroy and Johnson or Fowler and Wolff?
Sean Zak, senior editor (@Sean_Zak): I’ll take the obvious team — Rory and DJ. Both are absolute birdie (and eagle) machines. There will be eagles on Seminole. Perhaps a lot of eagles. Gimme the long bombers to make them.
Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): Rory and DJ and it’s not a particularly hard call. World No. 1 and 5 vs. No. 27 and 110 — who picked these teams anyway?
Alan Shipnuck, senior writer (@Alan_Shipnuck): I don’t know, Rory went nearly two months without touching a club. Wolff has the most to prove and Rickie has been playing 36 a day, or so it seems on social media, so I like the underdogs.
Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): Any of these guys can go on a scorching stretch at any time, so this could just as easily be a blitz in Rickie and Wolff’s favor. I’m going with the underdogs, especially if you’re giving me Vegas odds.
Who will be the MVP (both as a player and entertainer), and if you were drafting partners, in which order would you select these four?
Zak: DJ! The guy is an absolute machine who barely needs practice to dial it in. Could Rory be a bit rusty? That’s my only question.
Melton: As a player, gotta say Rory. The man was on an absolute tear for the past year before the pandemic hit. It might be low-hanging fruit to choose the top-ranked player in the world, but it’s hard to pick anyone over him. As an entertainer … Rickie? The man has a brand to polish, after all. What better time than when he’s mic’d up for 18 holes.
Shipnuck: Golf-wise, all four are capable of lighting it up, so who knows? But there is a serious personality deficit with this group. Despite his flashy clothes, Rickie is actually quiet and mild-mannered. So is Wolff. Like Forrest Gump, DJ can occasionally surprise with accidentally funny or profound thoughts, but we know how laconic he is. Rory is the only live wire in this crew and he’s going to have to chirp a lot to add any entertainment value.
Sens: I like Wolff as the MVP on the course. Beware the guy who most people don’t think stands a chance. For entertainment, Rory. He’s smart, funny and rarely hesitates to speak his mind.
What kind of mid-round challenge or format tweak would you most want to see?
Zak: The one-club challenge from the Japan Skins game was one of the most entertaining parts of that overnight event. Here’s hoping the players in Florida can get a bit more creative than Tiger and the crew were.
