Scottie Theegala and LA Golf Club capture inaugural TGL title, bringing championship glory to the new golf league.
Tag: TGL
Tiger Woods stepped into action at the TGL finale but couldn’t prevent his team from losing to Los Angeles. His Masters plans remain uncertain.
Tiger Woods makes his return to action as Jupiter Links GC captain makes a strategic lineup change for the second match of the TGL Finals.
The defending champion scouts Augusta National ahead of his title defense. Will Rory McIlroy repeat at The Masters?
Former NFL star Jason Kelce will be courtside for the closing stretch of the TGL regular season this weekend on ESPN.
Justin Thomas is set to make his competitive comeback next week following back surgery, marking his first PGA Tour start of the season.
Justin Thomas delivered a memorable performance in his TGL comeback, hitting a stinger, striking the camera, and sinking the decisive putt.
Tiger Woods took his Jupiter Links Golf Club to the TGL for the third time on Tuesday. It was against the New York Golf Club, against whom Tiger’s team suffered a crushing defeat in the course of the evening. Woods will remember one moment in particular, however, which he described afterwards as ‘one of the most embarrassing moments’ of his career.
Embarrassing mistake by Tiger Woods
Before hitting his shot, Woods asked the caddie for the distance. The caddie told him ‘99’, but meant 199 yards, because nowadays caddies often drop the hundredth digit when the distance is obvious. On the simulator, however, this doesn’t seem to be as obvious as the caddie thought, because Woods heard 99 yards and reached for his sand wedge. His team-mates Kevin Kisner and Tom Kim were still wondering what the 15-time major winner was up to. Of course, his shot fell well short. ‘I messed it up,’ said Woods afterwards. ‘That was embarrassing.’ Kisner and Kim could only laugh their heads off.
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New York Golf Club dominated Jupiter Links 10-3 on Tuesday night, with New York picking up eight points in eight holes before Jupiter Links could put the first points on the scoreboard. This was the first win for Rickie Fowler, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Max Homa, who have not covered themselves in glory with their team so far, losing twice previously. For Jupiter Links it was their second defeat, having only managed a narrow victory over Boston Commons.
Jupiter Links in danger of missing the TGL playoffs
Both teams now have two points in the table, but the size of the win means New York have an advantage in the hole ratio and are currently above the cut line, while Jupiter Links are in 5th place. All teams have now played three matches, with two more to go before a decision is made on which teams will advance to the playoffs. New York takes on LA next week, who have won two matches so far and lost one in overtime. Jupiter Links will face the previously unbeaten Bay Golf Club.
The third match day of the TGL brought a new match and a new record in the still young history of the league. Atlanta Drive GC, led by Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel and Patrick Cantlay, beat New York Golf Club 4-0 at the SoFi Centre in Palm Beach Gardens. This was the first shutout victory in the young history of TGL.
TGL: Atlanta Drive Takes Early Command
Atlanta controlled the action right from the start. Even in the ‘triples’ format, in which all three players on the team take it in turns to hit, the team’s dominance prevailed. The very first hole set the tone for the entire match. Cameron Young’s tee shot landed out of bounds and Atlanta Drive took the opportunity to take the lead with a solid par. In contrast, New York continued to struggle with accuracy on the greens in the triples session.
Justin Thomas established himself as the driving force behind Atlanta Drive GC. The two-time major winner holed a 7-metre putt on the fourth hole to take a 2-0 lead into the individual matches.
Justin Thomas Leads Atlanta to a Perfect Debut
Atlanta Drive followed up in the individual matches. Justin Thomas defeated Young with a birdie on the tenth hole, while Billy Horschel scored against Matt Fitzpatrick after the latter landed in the water and then in two bunkers. Thomas went one better with another long putt on the 13th hole and finally secured Atlanta’s historic shutout – and didn’t even have to resort to the strategic ‘hammer’ option to secure the 4-0 win.
Billy had a blast tonight. pic.twitter.com/0UNuBbtPwm
— TGL (@TGL) January 22, 2025
Preview to the Upcoming Challenges
With this win, Atlanta Drive moves to the top of the SoFi Cup standings and now prepares for a doubleheader on 17 February against Los Angeles GC and The Bay Golf Club. New York Golf Club, on the other hand, with two losses under their belt, will take on Jupiter Links GC in an attempt to salvage their season.
On Tuesday night, the long-awaited TGL finally premiered on ESPN in prime time. The indoor league led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy made its first big appearance and after much has been reported about the format and features of this entertainment product, many were eager to see what the final product would look like.
TGL: Clear victory for Bay GC
On the first day of play, Shane Lowry, Wyndham Clark and Ludvig Åberg played for the Bay GC against Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick from the New York GC. In two hours, they competed in a match over 15 holes, with Bay GC as the clear winner: 9 to 2 was the final score.
The players hit their long shots onto a video screen, some from real grass, others from turf, and bunkers filled with real sand from Augusta National Golf Club. Once the teams got to within 45 metres of the pin, it’s on to a short game complex – with a green set on a 37-metre-wide turntable and around 600 pieces of equipment underneath to change the contours. Over the first nine holes, all three players compete at the same time, taking turns to hit the ball. The last six holes are played 1 against 1.
First tee shot in TGL history. pic.twitter.com/WCGrfFBdRM
— TGL (@TGL) January 8, 2025
Shane Lowry hit the first tee shot in league history and a few minutes later Ludvig Åberg secured his team’s first birdie and the first hole won. From then on, the Bay Golf Club was unstoppable. With a ‘hammer’, the team immediately secured two points on hole 3 and after six holes they were 6-0 up. That was not to be expected, explained Wyndham Clark afterwards. In a practice match the day before, Schauffele & Co. were already 6-0 up after three holes. But when it counted, they had the system and its tricks down pat.
The ‘hammer’ is one of the special features of the TGL. Each hole is normally worth one point. The team in possession of the hammer can ‘throw’ it and thereby increase the value of a hole in order to gain an advantage or increase the pressure on the opponent. The hammer then becomes the property of the opposing team. If the hammer is thrown before the start of a hole, it is automatically accepted; if it is thrown after the tee shot, the opposing team has the option of rejecting it. In return, however, it automatically loses the hole.
New York GC scored the first point after nine holes, but was ultimately unable to catch up.
Well played. pic.twitter.com/7EeEoECQFb
— TGL (@TGL) January 8, 2025
The TGL will have to prove itself in the long run
The reactions to the first event show a lot of enthusiasm, but also room for improvement. The players emphasised how much fun they had during the event: ‘It’s a game, it’s not necessarily pure golf, it’s a bit more game and trick,’ said Wyndham Clark after the team victory. ‘I feel like we were very comfortable with it. I have to say we had a lot of fun.’
Paige Spiranac wrote on Twitter, ‘It’s fun to see the boys a little more relaxed! I think we’ll really let their personalities shine in this format,’ and both journalists and players praised the shot clock for keeping the game brisk and the energy high. The fans on site were enthusiastic, cheered the players – and also acknowledged bad shots with boos.
There is still room for improvement. As a TV viewer in particular, you have to be prepared for a lot of background noise between the players’ conversations, commentators, interviews and music from the hall. Michael McEwan (Bunkered) describes the event as ‘entertaining, but largely forgettable’ and James Colgan (Golf.com) is also of the opinion that the TGL still needs to find the ‘balance between flash and substance’.
Tiger Woods, however, seemed satisfied. ‘It was just a dream,’ he said on the ESPN broadcast. ‘Rory and I have talked about it; it’s hard to believe that this dream has become a reality and we’ve been able to take golf into another stratosphere, really.’