The fourth match of the inaugural TGL season pitted the founding fathers of the league against on another as Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common made its debut against Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club. After a horrendous debut match, Woods’ team including Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner rebounded with a 4 to 3 victory in what was the first overtime match in league history.
It was a tightly contested affair from the jump as the two teams both won one point in the opening triples session. Despite a record number of hammers being thrown, the score remained low as sides were able to fend off opposing gambles to double up on points when holding perceived advantages.
Woods lost the opening hole of singles to McIlroy, but his teammates picked him up as Kisner got on the board against Adam Scott and Kim did the same against Keegan Bradley. With Jupiter Links up one, Scott summoned his best putt of the evening holing a 32-foot birdie to draw the match all square and force overtime.
Extra time was played as an alternate shot closet-to-the-pin competition. Kim’s attempt settled closer than that of Bradley to give the home team the lead. Kisner then put the finishing touches on Jupiter’s first win by striking his approach from 40 yards closer than Scott.
All in all, it was the league’s best night yet given the star power, the gameplay and the competitiveness of the match.
Making putts matters
Ironically, for a tech-driven golf league, it is the real golf in front of fans that carries the most juice. The simulator technology still needs some work, but when players arrive at the rotating green, the best banter and golf shots actually occur.
For the first time on Monday night, players holed putts with consistency. That allowed for cheering, trash talking, rebuttals and more hammer throws than ever before. It brought a flow to the gameplay and injected life into the crowd at the SoFi Center, which should not go overlooked.
Tom Kim raises the rent
One of the brightest young players on the PGA Tour, Kim injected life into TGL that was reciprocated by the fans in attendance and the other five men on the course. While blowouts and unexciting play had largely been the hallmark of prior matches, combining Kim’s energy with a more hotly contested battle created an atmosphere of enthusiasm that buoyed the entire evening.
While named stars are important to draw viewer interest, Kim — combining his golf shots and theatrics — is the one who got the league trending on social media Monday night. He was undoubtedly the man of the match and precisely what TGL needs to bring juice in a format such as this.
Decision time
This match was circled on the calendar by the league as it pitted the two biggest stars against one another. Now a month into TGL, it seems fair for fans to decide whether the league is ultimately for them. Monday night’s action was probably as good as it will get (outside some potential broadcast and gameplay tweaks).
As with any league in any sport, those in charge can only do what they can to put their best foot forward upon launch. A lot is learned once the actual competition begins — both in terms of how matches are contested, rules that might need to be changed and how the league itself is presented. We still don’t know how rosters may or may not change in future seasons, for example. Still, if you have tuned into TGL for the last month, you probably have a good idea as to whether it will be a weekly or occasional watch.
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