“I’m not sure we’ll hit 100 shots,” was Tiger Woods’ verdict on his team’s dismal performance in its Tomorrow’s Golf League debut in Florida.
Two hours earlier, the 15-time major champion bounded into the specially constructed arena – to the sounds of classic Survivor Eye of the Tiger – with a big smile on his face, declaring he was there to “have fun.”
Although his team Jupiter Links suffered a 12-1 loss to Los Angeles, he said he “still hurts from laughing so much.”
There were certainly more wacky scenes at the Sofi Center than in opening week, with Woods, Max Homa and Kevin Kisner bordering on being the class clowns, frequently forgetting their score and hitting careless shots .
But then, maybe that’s part of the charm. It is, after all, a made-for-TV entertainment show that Woods says is designed to “showcase golf and grow the sport.”
“We hit six penalty areas, I shot twice from a bunker and Kis almost killed someone,” Woods said of his team’s efforts over the course of 15 holes.
Woods’ 15-year-old son Charlie was among the roughly 1,500 fans surrounding the football-field-sized arena and, according to Homa, the teen’s succinct summary was “we’re not not very good.”
What is TGL and how does it work?
TGL is a technology-driven indoor golf league developed by Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Six teams will compete in a round-robin format over the next few weeks, leading to the semi-finals and a best-of-three final at the end of March.
Every week, two teams of three players compete over 15 holes.
The first nine holes feature the three players from each team hitting alternating shots. Tee shots are projected onto a 60-foot-tall simulation screen from a distance of 35 yards, with the action switching to the actual short game complex once the ball is within 50 yards of the hole. After each hole, the short game area is rotated and a new green is created by the 600 motors located beneath its surface.
The final six holes are played head-to-head, with each player playing two holes.
The scoring is simple. Win a hole, earn a point. The team with the most points after 15 holes earns two championship points. A play-off closest to the dock will decide the winner in the event of a tie.
There is also the tactical “hammer”, which can be used by the team in possession to double the points offered on a hole in the event of a victory.
How Los Angeles beat Jupiter
Watched by tennis legend Serena Williams, co-owner of the Los Angeles team, England’s Justin Rose and his American teammates Sahith Theegala and former Open champion Collin Morikawa took a 5-point lead. -0 after four holes.
The hammer was barely used in the first week, but Woods threw it away before the first ball was hit Tuesday night and, while the first hole was cut in half, LA, who won the second hole, got double points on holes three and four. .
Rose sank a 10-footer to win the third, while a Woods miss from seven feet the next gave LA two more points.
Rose was on target again from six feet at the sixth, sinking his putt amid a cacophony of good-natured boos from a crowd desperate to see the home team score a first point.
“I dig it, I love it,” Rose said after sinking a 12-footer to win the eighth, and Los Angeles led 8-1 and galloping after landing another hammer-inspired two-pointer in the ninth.
Theegala was equally impressed after noticing his ball speed of 184 mph among the stats on the screen after his tee shot in the ninth. “I have never reached this level in a tournament,” he said, although the expected effect of players wearing microphones was mainly limited to laughing and trying to dissuade the opposition. .
In an effort to keep the entertainment value high, Spandau Ballet’s “Gold” blared as former Olympic champion Rose hit a shot. Spotlights frequently roamed the arena.
Rose faced Woods in singles action, but the athletic competition already seemed to be over. Woods, who barely played last year, seemed disconnected, particularly on the greens. He three-putted at the 10th after sinking a 35-foot putt from 14 feet beyond the hole.
And Kisner, who was rebellious on the tees, asked “How did I make six?” before conceding the 11th to Morikawa as Jupiter lost 9-1.
Morikawa executed an excellent flop shot on the artificial turf, and Rose attempted to hit a chip shot straight into the hole from close range as Los Angeles showed off their golfing skills, while, with the match lost, Kisner and Homa were discussing the possibility of relegation. for being the worst TGL team.
Kisner then provided late belly laughs with a missed high handicap shot out of a bunker on the 14th that crashed into the flagstick and flew to the other side of the green, leading players and fans into hiding to take shelter. It was borderline farce before he almost made the 50-foot return shot.
“We honestly didn’t think anyone could be hit here,” Woods said. “Honestly, it was one of the funniest things I’ve seen. And then the punchline, the next one, should have happened. It was just one of those weird nights.”
Sports and entertainment in the name of game development.
