There was a gigantic, glowing 400-foot-high smiley face, a cart race, a toppled trophy, and – oh yes – some golf.
Netflix’s first foray into live sports just so happened to be a golf event in Las Vegas, as Formula 1 gears up to have its Vegas debut at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 19.
Netflix is the home of both ‘Drive to Survive’ and ‘Full Swing,’ the multi-episode (and now multi-season) documentary programs that gave viewers an inside look at both the worlds of racing and golf.
Just a few days before the Vegas F1 race, four racers paired up with four golfers in an eight-hole match called the ‘Netflix Cup.’
“These guys, they don’t play golf, just like we would be atrocious at what they do. They’re going to be a lot better at golf than we would be at driving,” Justin Thomas, one of the participants, said before the event. “We’re here to have a good time.”
Here’s everything you need to know about what happened at the Netflix Cup.
THE TEAMS
Rickie Fowler (PGA Tour) and Lando Norris (F1)
Justin Thomas (PGA Tour) and Carlos Sainz (F1)
Max Homa (PGA Tour) and Alex Albon (F1)
Tony Finau (PGA Tour) and Pierre Gasly (F1)
Finau was a last-minute replacement for Collin Morikawa, who withdrew the morning of the event citing a back injury.
Both Thomas and Homa had approximately 30 hours of travel to get to Vegas, after they both played the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour in South Africa last week – which Homa won.
The event took place at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.
THE MOMENTS
Besides the opening ‘fastest’ hole, there were other challenge holes including a long-drive challenge and a ‘Squid Game’ hole, where players had to time their tee shots so then they wouldn’t be looked at by the popular Netflix show’s green light/red light doll – otherwise you had to play your partner’s shot. Fowler, however, was not a fan (“That was a waste,” he said)
Speaking of Fowler – there was a clip from him from the upcoming second season of ‘Full Swing’ where he was sitting in a chair and spoke about his struggles from the last few years. It was a solid and pointed look into Fowler’s off-course life and was a great teaser for Season 2.
The eight-hole matches saw Thomas/Sainz defeat Fowler/Norris and Finau/Gasly defeat Homa/Albon.
THE CHAOS
A race to win the first hole for @TonyFinauGolf and @PierreGasly! 🏎️
A speedy start to The @Netflix Cup. pic.twitter.com/1RQJrLYUi0— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 15, 2023
The very first hole saw Fowler and Norris face off against Thomas and Sainz in a “race to the hole” competition. Despite who his teammate was, Fowler drove the cart to the green (there was a starting grid and lights that mimicked an F1 race) and they actually prevailed, but not without some confusion. A PGA Tour rules official needed to step in after Norris moved his ball – and the Tour golfers thought team-play rules were involved.
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix © 2023)The Vegas Sphere is a newly built music and entertainment venue that measures 366 feet high and 516 feet wide. The venue’s exterior also has 580,000 square feet of LED light displays, and for the duration of the Netflix Cup, it was lit up like a gigantic smiley face that “watched” the golf shots.
In a broadcast blip, they didn’t even show the winning moment! The broadcast crew went to a ‘Unforgettable Moment presented by Nespresso’ instead of showing the final hole where Sainz/Thomas actually won the whole thing.
Sainz/Thomas wore bestowed checkered-flag jackets (of course) before being doused with champagne by comedian Bert Kreischer (who was shirtless). Kreischer was part of the event’s broadcast team along with Tour winner Joel Dahmen, NFL star Marshawn Lynch, and broadcaster Kay Adams.
THE RESULT
Thomas/Sainz defeated Finau/Gasly in a closest-to-the-pin competition to win the Netflix Cup after the four teams were reduced to two after eight holes of match-play.
Closest to the pin 🎯
The winning moment for @JustinThomas34 and @CarlosSainz55 at The @Netflix Cup. pic.twitter.com/3WLmGZfoYP
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 15, 2023
It should be noted that the Thomas/Sainz team actually used some of the drivers’ shots through the match – kudos to Sainz, who apparently is one of, if not the best, golfer out of all the F1 drivers.
SAINZ 😭 pic.twitter.com/M7rtxGKpLW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 15, 2023
To put a bow on the wild afternoon-that-was, however, Sainz dropped the trophy – and it broke.