Collin Morikawa, citing a back injury, pulled out of the live streaming event just a few hours before the match-play tournament started.

pic.twitter.com/enYpeKJTqO

— Collin Morikawa (@collin_morikawa) November 14, 2023

The two-time major champ was replaced by Tony Finau in the competition pitting two-man teams comprised of one golfer and one driver. Finau will now play with Pierre Gasly, while Justin Thomas-Carlos Sainz, Rickie Fowler-Lando Norris, and Max Homa-Alex Albon make up the other three teams teeing it up at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.

According to a Netflix tweet, Morikawa will still be part of the live broadcast.

This Just In: Tony Finau will replace Collin Morikawa as Pierre Gasly’s partner in The Netflix Cup, streaming live today at 3pm PT/6pm ET — but Morikawa will still be a part of the live broadcast! pic.twitter.com/I16gszFbuu

— Netflix (@netflix) November 14, 2023

The made-for-TVStreaming event is Netflix’s first attempt at a live sporting event. And it combines stars from two of its popular docuseries, “Drive to Survive” and “Full Swing.”

Morikawa ended a two-year winless drought last month at the Zozo Championship. The 26-year-old is currently No. 13 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Image: Lintao Zhang

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The streaming service is copying the success of “The Match” celebrity series by fusing two of its programmes — the golf-centric “Full Swing” and F1 series “Drive to Survive” — for a made-for-TV (or second-screen) spectacle. “The Netflix Cup” will be the streamer’s first live sporting event, pitting the aforementioned golfers with four drivers in a match play tournament at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.

The Wynn — a Tom Fazio design in Nevada — has previously hosted three of the last four iterations of“The Match.”

“The PGA Tour is proud to participate in this significant milestone for Netflix and we look forward to showcasing our sport’s professional athletes to a live global audience,” said Norb Gambuzza, PGA Tour senior vice president of media and gaming. “New and diverse audiences have come to know more about both our sports and their athletes through ‘Full Swing’ and ‘Drive to Survive’, and we are excited to team up with Netflix, Formula 1 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix on this exciting concept.”

Netflix released the first season of “Full Swing” — a docudrama that takes viewers behind the scenes of professional golfers’ lives on and off the course — this past February. According to the tour, data indicates the show had a significant impact on TV ratings this past season. “Full Swing” was available in 190 countries and 32 languages and it reached Netflix Top 10 worldwide, including No. 2 in the US and UK, and No. 1 in Ireland.

The event will air on Tuesday, November 14.

Main image: Andrew Redington

The post Rickie, Max, JT and Collin to star in Netflix’s first live golf match appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.