It is a fun but busy life being a player and a coach. I keep a full tournament schedule and serve as analytics advisor to many of the same guys I’m trying to beat. Recently, I partnered with Arccos Golf to track my game and use the Arccos platform to enhance what I’ve built. With so much information available these days, game tracking is the key to uncovering insights that can help any golfer score better. None of the players in The Crypto.com Showdown are individual clients, but I have access to shot data for all rounds they played in 2024 on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LIV Golf and the majors. Golf Digest asked me to provide a statistical preview of the upcoming made-for-TV match, which will pit Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in three six-hole matches of four-ball, foursomes and singles match play. Because the 2020 CJ Cup was held at Shadow Creek, where The Showdown will be held Dec. 17, there is adequate data to see how elite players fare on this layout.

What jumps out to me most is the importance of middle to long irons on approaches from 175 to 225 yards. Shadow Creek’s fairways are slightly tighter than the typical PGA Tour venue, and there is a high penalty for missing them. There are only three holes (Nos. 6, 14, 18) where it truly pays to be aggressive off the tee. Overall, it’s a course that doesn’t reward long hitters because there are many tee shots where you are either forced to lay up to a certain number or where the fairway gets very narrow past 320 yards. As such, there are more shots than usual from 175 to 225 yards, and a player can separate himself because of how the greens are shaped and framed by trouble. At 2,000 feet above sea level, the ball will be flying, and distance control could become a greater challenge. Putting is always of top importance, especially in match play where you need to make a lot of birdies, but the stats suggest this showdown will come down to iron play.

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Data provided by Arccos Pro Insights

Scottie Scheffler: Scheffler hands down is the best player in the world right now, though he’s been a little off the boil since The Open Championship. He’s the top iron player, and off the tee he’s a little longer than average with incredible accuracy and a great ability to avoid penalty shots. The reigning Masters champ is not only the hottest player of the four, his game is best fitted to Shadow Creek.

Rory McIlroy: McIlroy is at his best when he’s swinging freely and making lots of birdies. Scheffler could be the ideal partner for him, providing steady cover when McIlroy’s aggressive play doesn’t work out. Will McIlroy get into a long-driving competition with DeChambeau? Rory is the only one in the group with the firepower to challenge Bryson.

Bryson DeChambeau: DeChambeau played great on big stages in 2024, winning the U.S. Open and nearly winning the PGA Championship. His driving and putting are outstanding. When he’s inconsistent, his approach play is his weakness. In his favor at Shadow Creek is that he is better with longer approach shots than he is with wedges and short game. He will not be able to take full advantage of his driving here.

Brooks Koepka: Koepka’s five major wins are the envy of this foursome and are testament to his ability to rise to the occasion. He didn’t have his best season in 2024, mostly because of his putter, though Shadow Creek is a great course for him as his approach play has been solid. He just needs to warm up the putter and then he could easily be at the same level as the other guys in this group.

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Edoardo Molinari is a former U.S. Amateur champion and veteran of the DP World Tour, where he’s won three titles during his nearly two decades since turning pro and also played for the 2010 European Ryder Cup team along with his younger brother, Francesco. In recent years, Edoardo has become a go-to stats analyst for several players on the DP World Tour as well as for the European Ryder Cup team.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com