Tiger Woods’ debut ended in disappointment Tuesday as his team, Jupiter Links Golf Club, lost 12-1 to Los Angeles Golf Club in TGL, a new high-tech indoor golf league.
Woods, who is spearheading his new venture alongside Rory McIlroy, entered the arena excited as Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” blared from the speakers, but the former world No. 1 had high expectations. was unable to respond.
His team included Kevin Kisner and Max Homa, but the trio struggled against Los Angeles Golf Club’s Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahis Segala.
Jupiter Links quickly trailed 5-0 after just four holes and finished the first session 8-1.
“We had fun,” Woods said, laughing at the blowout loss. “We made a lot of shots. I think the people there realized how bad the pros were. Heck, it was just a boat race. But we had a great time. Thank you.”
Woods added that he was “still in pain from laughing so much” during the competition.
Although the quality of the exhibits was subpar, there was plenty to entertain the star-studded audience and viewers watching on television.
At one point, when Woods hit a shot into the virtual water on the second hole, his son Charlie couldn’t help but laugh as he sat overlooking the virtual course.
Charlie was joined in the audience by Serena Williams, co-owner of the Los Angeles team and 23-time Grand Slam champion.
When Woods sunk an 8-foot putt for par on the fifth hole, Williams said on the broadcast, “It’s about time, Tiger.”
What is the format?
At TGL, six teams of 24 PGA Tour microphone-up stars will play 15 regular season games in a 1,500-capacity arena in Palm Beach Gardens before the start of the postseason, culminating in a best-of-three finals series. . Showdown in the SoFi Cup on March 24th.
Golfers in each team of four hit tee and approach shots into a 64-by-53-foot simulator before moving to the green zone. Thanks to the turntable and actuators beneath its surface, the green can rotate and tilt independently on each hole.
A match is contested over two sessions, with each match pitting three players from each team against each other over 15 specially designed holes and two different formats: 9 holes for triples and 6 holes for singles.
In a triple, three players on a team take turns hitting shots or teeing off. In the singles format, players play head-to-head against their opponents, with each player on a three-person team playing two single holes.
Each hole is worth one point, tied holes are worth no points, and the team with the most points at the end of the match wins. If the scores are tied after 15 holes, the winner is determined by the closest match to the pin.
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