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Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler to compete in pre-U.S. Open prime-time exhibition

Published

10 years ago

on

Two of the biggest stars in pro golf, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, are reportedly set to meet in a prime-time exhibition the week before the U.S. Open. The showdown will take place Tuesday, June 7 at the Detroit Golf Club, according to Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press.

Reportedly, there will be a celebrity/team element to the competition, with a “Team Rory” vs. “Team Rickie,” angle to the showdown, in contrast to the Tiger Woods “Motorola Showdown at Sherwood” exhibitions of 1999 and 2000, when a head-to-head format was utilized.

The first two hours of the competition will be broadcast live by Golf Channel. From 9-11 p.m., CBS will pick up the coverage. Again, details regarding format are yet to emerge.

Detroit-based Quicken Loans is sponsoring the event. The company has emerged as a significant sponsor on the PGA Tour in recent years, rolling out the Quicken Loans hole-in-one sweepstakes and serving as the title sponsor for the Quicken Loans National. Fowler is also personally sponsored by the Detroit company.

As Ferguson notes, Quicken Loans has pursued unique marketing efforts in the past, particularly in the sports space. The company sponsored the first college basketball game on an aircraft carrier in 2011 and offered a $1 billion prize to anyone who completed a perfect NCAA bracket in 2014.

We haven’t seen prime-time golf exhibitions since the aforementioned “Showdown at Sherwood” series, which came to an end in 2005.

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Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

18 Comments

18 Comments

  1. Moss

    Feb 20, 2016 at 9:25 am

    This is exactly the kind of thing to bring more young folks to the game and bring a fresh perspective. The idea of “teams” is great and to have their celebrity pals playing and sharing the experience socially could be pretty cool. Huge fan of this idea! Thanks for sharing WRX!

    Reply Report comment

  2. Woodlands Barbershop Dennie

    Feb 19, 2016 at 10:29 am

    quicken loans more predatory lending service.

    Reply Report comment

  3. steve

    Feb 17, 2016 at 8:40 am

    Sounds exciting watching two boring guys play golf. Has Rickie become the most overexposed golfer, he is a great golfer but man he is overexposed.

    Reply Report comment

    • Carlos Danger

      Feb 18, 2016 at 10:31 am

      overexposed? care to define what in the world you mean by that?

      Reply Report comment

    • Brian

      Feb 19, 2016 at 2:10 pm

      I’m curious what you want to see? Two weeks ago, the majority of the golf community bashed Rickie for being too aggressive in Phoenix. Now you’re saying he’s a boring golfer. You can’t have it both ways…

      Reply Report comment

  4. Dan

    Feb 16, 2016 at 8:04 pm

    So how can I get tickets. Right in my backyard!

    Reply Report comment

  5. Charlie

    Feb 16, 2016 at 12:34 pm

    While I applaud the idea, get ready for commercials galore!

    Will try to DVR it.

    Reply Report comment

  6. Bob Vokey

    Feb 16, 2016 at 11:08 am

    who cares? Watching Rickie play is like watching grass grow. Mr.Monotone

    Reply Report comment

    • AllBOdoesisgolf

      Feb 16, 2016 at 11:35 am

      wahhh wahhh wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh debbie downer….

      Reply Report comment

  7. Golfeen23

    Feb 16, 2016 at 10:24 am

    Looks like you need to do some fact checking. The Carrier Classic was not in 2015 and the Billion Dollar Bracket wasn’t last year.

    Reply Report comment

    • Zak Kozuchowski

      Feb 16, 2016 at 10:31 am

      Thanks for the comment, Golfeen23. The dates have been updated and are now accurate. We appreciate your help.

      Reply Report comment

    • steve

      Feb 17, 2016 at 8:33 am

      Surprised your comment wasn’t deleted.

      Reply Report comment

      • Double Mocha Man

        Feb 28, 2016 at 7:26 pm

        Steve… were you having a bad day? Sounds like you needed a good gin & tonic.

        Reply Report comment

  8. birdeez

    Feb 16, 2016 at 9:47 am

    gotta love primetime golf… should be a fun watch!

    now if only the fedex cup would take a hint and move the final round to match play for the final 4-8 and make the finale a primetime special 18 holes winner take all.

    Reply Report comment

  9. Joew2328

    Feb 16, 2016 at 8:56 am

    SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!

    Reply Report comment

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