Tiger Woods emerged from the fog on Tuesday night time.
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How was Tiger Woods’ TGL entrance?
That relies upon who you ask.
An unofficial ballot of social media supplied a common hell yeah. Social media likes Tiger Woods. Add a crimson shirt, a crimson tunnel and a few dramatic fog? Can’t-miss combo.
A more durable grader sat front-row contained in the SoFi Middle on Tuesday night time. How would Tiger’s son Charlie, who was slugging a Sprite alongside some buddies, rating his dad’s entrance? 4 out of 10, he informed ESPN’s Marty Smith. Ouch.
However maybe the one essential perspective got here from Woods himself, who couldn’t cease grinning within the moments after he’d emerged to Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” dropped the hammer and laced the opening tee shot down the middle?
“That was superior,” he stated. “That was the most effective.”
It’s all an optimistic mix of previous, current and future, this TGL endeavor. Woods embodies that. He’s 49 years outdated and it’s been a half-decade since he contended in a PGA Tour occasion however he’s nonetheless the game’s greatest draw, and this league was constructed along with his abilities and his aura in thoughts. There’s no scarcity of nostalgia on this league’s DNA, then, even because it tries to push the game into the long run. The T in TGL stands (unofficially, because it seems) for Tomorrow. It was becoming that Woods debuted Tomorrow’s Golf League to yesterday’s music. “Eye of the Tiger” was launched in 1982, 27 years earlier than Charlie was born. It was a little bit on the nostril. That didn’t a lot matter.
Earlier than lengthy, Tuesday’s competitors changed into a little bit of a dud. For the crew in crimson, an early deficit changed into a big-time blowout. Y’know that phrase “When you don’t snicker, you’ll cry?” By the tip Woods did each.
However big-picture, TGL’s Week 2 left us with three burning questions.
1. What’s up with Tiger’s crew?
Look, it’ll take a while for each squad to get its bearings in a brand-new area enjoying what’s not less than a half-new sport. However Jupiter Hyperlinks Golf Membership, consisting on this night time of Woods, Max Homa and Kevin Kisner, was dangerous. Like, dangerous dangerous. Los Angeles Golf Membership — Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa — drubbed ’em, 12-1.
“We have been entertaining,” Woods stated post-round. “We hit a variety of pictures. I believe the individuals right here, they obtained to see how dangerous professionals will be. It was only a boat race.”
Kisner appeared notably ill-prepared for the endeavor. The longtime fan-favorite Tour professional is a delight on each broadcast he joins — and will probably be doing that full-time going ahead — however the TGL is a bomber’s league, and his efficiency off the tee informed an unlucky story. He hit simply considered one of three fairways and averaged simply 159.6 mph ball velocity with driver, 12 mph behind the next-slowest.
However Woods, who appeared wholesome and confirmed off loads of velocity, nonetheless supplied a blunt self-assessment.
“The strolling just isn’t the problem,” he stated. “It’s my sport just isn’t excellent.”
If there’s hope for Jupiter it’s that Woods will determine the display screen, Homa will probably be a dependable presence and so they can draw vitality from the arrival of Tom Kim, their fourth teammate, who is thought for igniting underdogs in crew match play.
“We’ve known as Tom and requested him to fly on out right here, dwell on this factor for a short time,” Homa stated.
“What’s [Tom] pondering proper now? Woods requested. “Oh my God.”
Anybody who has ever performed golf is aware of simply how tough it’s to remain cheery while you’re enjoying dangerous golf. It was a present, then, that Kisner produced probably the most memorable second of the night time on the 14th gap when he bladed a bunker shot off the pin, sending his teammates ducking for canopy — after which into hysterics.
“We actually didn’t suppose that anybody may presumably get hit in right here,” Woods stated; had the ball not hit the pin it could have ended up within the stands. “However that was one of many funniest moments I’ve ever seen, Kiz hitting that shot like that. We have been simply dying.”
2. What was up with the simulators?
When you’re on this web site studying a couple of simulator golf league there’s a very good likelihood that you’ve performed some golf on some form of simulator. And when you have performed golf on a simulator you realize that probably the most irritating half is the way in which the ball simply reacts a little bit bit otherwise than it could in actual life. (Or not less than it appears to — there’s, in fact, no option to know in actual time, which solely provides to the frustration.) What could be a delicate reduce in actual life can flip to a long-left pull. What ought to have carried 105 someway carries 90, or vice-versa. That’s all good should you’re tucked into the nook of an area bowling alley with three buddies and two pitchers. However while you’re on ESPN and also you’re asking individuals to think about betting real-life money on this factor? There’s a little bit extra strain on the tech to cooperate.
In equity, the TGL’s tech is usually mind-blowingly good, from the rotating inexperienced to the little highlight that exhibits gamers the place to place their ball. However at a really fundamental degree the league wants carry distances to be actually, actually dependable, and the ahead teeing floor the place they have been hitting wedges gave the impression to be off. Woods despatched one wedge screaming 20-plus yards over the inexperienced and into the water. Morikawa and Kisner appeared perplexed at numerous factors, too.
“I do know from the entrance tee field we hit each single wedge shot lengthy,” Woods stated.
“Considerably lengthy,” Homa added.
The gamers have been understandably cautious about overt criticism on the published, however one thing was clearly up. Whether or not the cameras weren’t selecting up spin correctly or, properly, I do not know. That is all exterior my ability set. Hopefully it’s not exterior of theirs. Belief within the tech is the muse of your complete factor.
3. What’ll it appear to be if we get a detailed match?
Two weeks in we’re additionally two blowouts in. That’s a nightmare situation for a league promising a fast-paced, action-packed two hours of golf. On the intense facet, although: we nonetheless don’t know what a detailed match appears like!
We’ve realized from numerous iterations of The Match all through the years that it’s principally unimaginable to save lots of a blowout golf match. Rigidity breaks down and banter does too and the entire thing begins to really feel a bit ridiculous. However the TGL in a detailed match nonetheless looks like it might be a variety of enjoyable. Throwing hammers over high-pressure putts? Monitoring a vital tee shot because it flies over a large pit of digital lava? Some actual, precise pressure between among the best, highest-achieving golfers on the planet? I’m prepared to see what that appears like.
Perhaps subsequent week.
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Dylan Dethier
Golf.com Editor
Dylan Dethier is a senior author for GOLF Journal/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams School, the place he majored in English, and he’s the creator of 18 in America, which particulars the 12 months he spent as an 18-year-old dwelling from his automobile and enjoying a spherical of golf in each state.
