Imagine this: Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler going head-to-head. They are also the captains of their teams. Their team’s fate depends on them. Ryder Cup? Not really. We are talking about a made-for-TV spectacle.

On December 17, Scottie and Rory will clash in the ‘Golf Channel Games’ — a high-stakes event that's part golf, part drama. They will captain their respective teams of four players at Trump National Jupiter. Expect match play intensity. More chirping. More fireworks.

But don’t expect Scheffler to stand in line for Rory’s autograph like he did last time.

They are rivals now. This is also not just your regular fourball and foursome. The format is radically different:

• Timed Drive, Chip, & Putt: Players will go solo, racing against the clock to ace three challenges: crushing drives down the fairway, chipping with pinpoint accuracy, and sinking a certain number of feet of putts.

• 14-Club Challenge: Two opponents. One bag. 14 clubs. Each player will take turns drawing a club and trying to get closest to the pin from the fairway. Once a club is used, that’s out for the rest of the match. 

• Timed Shootout: Four players, three holes, and one clock. Teammates will work together: one player crushing off the tee, another from the fairway, and two more to wrap things up on and around the green.

• Captains’ Challenge: Scottie and Rory will lock horns, each taking on six shots: a 100-yard wedge, 50-yard pitch, bunker shot, greenside chip, 50-foot putt, and 10-foot putt. Whoever gets their shots closest to the hole will win. 

So here we are: Primetime TV, big names, novel ideas. And, of course, plenty of entertainment. Golf is shattering boundaries. One at a time.

The Weather Channel shows that the temperature in Bethpage, New York, will reach 78°F later this month. But Rory McIlroy knows the heat inside Bethpage Black will be several notches higher.

It’s the Ryder Cup. In New York. If you expect any mercy, you are just fooling yourself. The New York fans already gave a glimpse of what they can and WILL do, as you can see (and feel) here.

Now imagine the atmosphere at Bethpage Black. So, yes, Rory has no illusions about who the favorite is here. And history is on the home team’s side. 2016 at Hazeltine. 2021 at Whistling Straits. Familiar stories. The last time an away team emerged victorious was in 2012. But…

Let's not count Europe out just yet. Rory also believes the team is stronger. 11 of the 12 players from Rome will make the trip to New York. That includes Hovland & Aberg, who put Scottie and Brooks through 9&7 humiliation. Even Justin Thomas was in utter disbelief, as this rare behind-the-scenes footage clearly shows.

Now, we did a head-to-head true strokes-gained comparison of the top three players on both teams. There is no clear favorite:

So Team Europe is not out of the game. But yes, more will be at play than these stats. And fans will play a big role. In 2016, Rory invited a heckler to attempt a $100 putt — watch what happened after that. This time, he will need to do something more to shut the New York crowd down.

The moment we saw Tom Watson pull off this one-armed, backward shot — feast your eyes on the majestic beauty here — we knew it was going to be the stuff of legend. Surely, you’ve faced similar tricky lies like that, but never dared to try what Watson did. Well, now you can with these three tips:

• Aim: Point your body slightly right of the target. That will allow the clubface to be pointed towards the target and help you nail the shot.

• Control: Use a pendulum motion with one arm, lifting straight up and hinging your wrist to set the club. You will feel like you’re dragging the handle towards the ball, and that’s exactly what you need to do.

• Contact: Release your wrists at impact and make contact with the clubface nearly upright for a solid shot. Watch renowned golf instructor Josh Kelley demonstrating it below:

Keep practicing the drag-and-release motion to perfect the shot. And when you’re done dealing with that, we have listed three tips from Tom Watson himself that will help you card more birdies instead of bogeys.

Golf clubs aren’t supposed to have attitude. But the limited edition Cleveland x SWAG RTZ Black Satin Wedges didn’t get that memo. In the hands, they look like they were ripped straight from a streetwear boutique rather than a pro shop. Thanks to Cleveland’s collaboration with SWAG, we now have laser-engraved dollar bill patterns on RTZ wedges.

Just watch them in all their glory, and you will understand what we mean.

The gold paint and custom ferrules add a final flourish. You can stash them as collector’s items. But you can also take them onto the course and savor the envy in your playing mate’s eyes. These wedges walk the fine line between high-performance golf clubs and art pieces — and at an affordable price, too.