Arnold Palmer versus Jack Nicklaus. Tiger Woods versus Phil Mickelson. Nick Faldo versus Greg Norman.
Throughout the history of professional golf, each great player had their rival. The King (Palmer) battled with the Golden Bear (Nicklaus). Woods went back and forth with Mickelson throughout the early 2000s. Faldo and Norman traded the No. 1 title for years, and Faldo snuck past Norman during one of the greatest collapses in golf history at the 1996 Masters Tournament.
But in the last decade, these compelling professional golf rivalries have been hard to come by. The drought is in part due to the emergence of LIV Golf in 2022, which pulled some of the greatest players away from the PGA Tour.
In 2024, golf fans were primed for the Scottie Scheffler versus Jon Rahm rivalry week in and week out. Rahm won four times during the 2022-23 season, while Scheffler claimed two victories. But when Rahm decided to join LIV in December 2023, the potential rivalry faded.
Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau have had their battles in major championships, the four most prestigious tournaments of the golf season. DeChambeau was victorious over McIlroy at the 2024 U.S. Open, while McIlroy took the 2025 Masters Tournament as DeChambeau faded. But with DeChambeau competing on LIV, the rivalry is only seen four times a year.
The Europe versus America rivalry will always be embedded in the professional golf world because of the Ryder Cup, which only comes around every other year. But pitting two nations against each other isn’t the same as watching two golfers battle down the stretch each week.
The lack of rivalries in professional men’s golf creates an entertainment gap. It’s less interesting to watch when the two players competing at the end of a golf tournament don’t have a history of close calls against each other.
With uncertainty surrounding LIV Golf, more rivalries could soon emerge if there is ever a reunion. But for now, the good versus evil on the PGA Tour doesn’t seem to exist.
Four players have emerged at the top of the PGA Tour in 2026: Scheffler (USA), McIlroy (NIR), Cameron Young (USA) and Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG). The four have won a combined seven tournaments in 2026, including The PLAYERS Championship and the Masters, and hold the top four spots in the Official World Golf Rankings, but there hasn’t been a clear-cut 1 versus 1 amongst them.
So far in 2026, Young got the best of Fitzpatrick at THE PLAYERS Championship. McIlroy defeated Young at the Masters, while Scheffler made a late tournament push for second place. Fitzpatrick won the RBC Heritage in a playoff over Scheffler.
If just one rivalry emerged out of that group of four, the most compelling would be Scheffler versus McIlroy. Scheffler has ascended to the top of the golf world since 2022, while McIlroy has played at a high level for over a decade. They’ve won four of the last six major championships. However, the two haven’t battled against each other in recent years. There’s been no Sunday afternoon where it comes down to two of the best active players.
Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour in January after a stint with LIV Golf. While he’s not allowed to play in the biggest tour events until he qualifies on his own, Koepka returning to the PGA TOUR and eventually finding his form could lead to the emergence of another great rivalry.
If Koepka gets back to competing at a high level on the PGA Tour, Koepka versus McIlroy versus Scheffler would be a compelling storyline for sports fans, as the three are some of the greatest players of their generation.
Professional golf is a divided sport as it is. Individuals on the PGA Tour compete for themselves, not a team. LIV Golf created a split in tours. And while rivalries between players would be another divide, it’s the type of split that creates conversation and entertainment around the sport.
