TGL, the team golf league promoted by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, is now a reality. Its setting, the impressive SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens (Florida), which has, among many other attractions, a screen 24 times larger than that of a standard golf simulator. Lots of colorful lights, loud music and fantasy in a show that tries to transfer, in a certain way, with its presentations and dynamism, the WWE style to a curious indoor golf duel. The Bay Golf Club team (Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg and Wyndham Clark) defeated New York Golf Club (Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele) 9-2, although in the premiere the result was secondary.
Let’s go in parts. First of all, the TGL party responded to what was promised. It is a team match-play format, which is played in a format of holes that are partly virtual and then moved to an area dedicated to the short game for shots from bunkers, chips and putting. The entire short game platform presents a changing topography, which is most striking. After each hole, this area was rotated to create a new green thanks to the 600 motors located beneath its surface. Awesome. Three players from each team – a fourth rests – compete in a 15-hole duel. It is a very television product. Scoring is simple: if you win a hole, you earn a point. In the event of a final tie, there is a tiebreaker but the loser takes one point.
The first nine holes of the 15-hole match featured the three players from each team taking alternating shots. From the tee it was launched at the giant screen from a distance of 35 yards (32 meters) and the action then moved to the short game complex once the ball was 50 yards (45 meters) from the hole.
There were fantasy holes with lava rivers and clifftop fairways and much more is expected. It was about generating some Ryder Cup-style rivalry, partly with boos from the roughly 1,500 spectators at SoFi Center. Sportingly, by the sixth hole The Bay was already winning 6-0 and this caused that rivalry to decline.
Yesterday’s TGL match.Lapresse
Part of the fun is that the players wore microphones. Some were clearly more comfortable than others and demonstrated more naturalness and self-confidence, but listening to them allowed viewers to become more involved. “I’m going to be the Scottie Scheffler of indoor golf,” joked Lowry, who enjoyed himself in the spotlight.
Another of the most interesting aspects was the speed of the game. Nothing to do with a tournament on the circuit, since the players turned on the turbo, although in reality this did not give rise to much conversation between them, beyond commenting on how the blow to be hit should be executed. Specifically, there is a 40-second timer for each hit and it rarely went below 15 seconds. When this happens, the sound of a heartbeat that accelerates as the count approaches zero is heard in the room – and on television -. When it reaches ten, the audience is encouraged to sing the countdown. Four timeouts may be used per team during the game.
The top four teams advance to the playoff semifinals on March 17-18, the week after The Players, and the best-of-three finals are scheduled for March 24-25. Tiger Woods’ team, Jupiter Links, will face Morikawa’s Los Angeles Golf next week.
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In short, it is an entertaining format that can resonate on television. It is not heavy at all and can be attractive to both lifelong golf spectators and neophytes.
BEYOND THE TGL
Regardless of what happens with the TGL in the future, facilities have been created whose exploitation can offer significant benefits. The SoFi Center is an incredible venue that has invested many millions in it and there is nothing even remotely like it in the world. It is an ideal place for golf players to meet in groups of friends and have a fun time emulating the competition itself. More than one bachelor party will stop at this enclave as long as you open its doors to the public. The movements of the green are truly spectacular.
TGL TEAMS
ATLANTA DRIVE GC Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantaly, Billy Horschel, Lucas Glover
BOSTON COMMON GOLF Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott
JUPITER LINKS GC Tiger Woods, Max Homa, Tom Kim, Kevin Kisner
LOS ANGELES GC Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood
NEW YORK GC Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young
THE BAY GC Ludvig Aberg, Wydham Clark, Min Woo Lee, Shane Lowry
