PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Tiger Woods was the sixth and last participant to emerge from the tunnel and onto the sector of play for his TGL debut on Tuesday night time.
Nobody introduced his identify. Wasn’t essential.
Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” blared and that was greater than sufficient of an introduction for maybe golf’s best participant ever. It’s not like anybody inside SoFi Middle at Palm Seaside State School didn’t know who Woods was, and most have been even in all probability conscious of how he, Rory McIlroy and others spent years attempting to make this notion of indoor golf on TV occur.
“It’s a actuality now,” Woods mentioned.
Week 2 of TGL was Tuesday night time — Woods joined Kevin Kisner and Max Homa of Jupiter Hyperlinks Golf Membership to tackle the Los Angeles Golf Membership of Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala.
The ultimate rating: Los Angeles 12, Jupiter 1 within the 15-hole, made-for-TV workforce match that includes 9 holes of alternate shot triples play, adopted by six holes of singles play — two holes for every participant on every workforce. Woods was smiling all through, even with the lopsided rating. The format is such that he solely took 20 photographs over the course of the match, which lasted simply over two hours.
“We have been entertaining,” Woods mentioned, nonetheless laughing even after the rout ended inside the sector constructed only a few miles from his Jupiter Island house. “We hit plenty of photographs. I feel the folks there bought to see how dangerous professionals will be. It was only a boat race, oh my goodness. However we had a good time.”
Woods’ workforce bought on the flawed facet of the scoreboard shortly, falling behind 5-0. It might have been worse if Woods hadn’t made an 8-footer for par to assist his workforce get a tie on the fifth gap. That putt got here one gap after Woods slid a 7-footer large to the left.
“It’s about time, Tiger,” tennis legend Serena Williams mentioned on the ESPN broadcast. Williams is a longtime pal of Woods, so she discovered herself rooting for him — and he or she is a part of the possession group of the Los Angeles Golf Membership, so she discovered herself concurrently rooting towards him.
There have been classic Woods moments, like staring down photographs he favored because the super-high-tech video boards instructed the story of the place the ball would have gone outdoor. There have been additionally irritating ones; he shook his head after he despatched a 101-yard wedge into the water on the second gap of the 15-hole match — as son Charlie, sitting in one of many seats within the enviornment overlooking the course, couldn’t assist however snicker.
“That is distinctive. That is one thing that golf has by no means seen earlier than,” Woods mentioned. “You might have an enviornment like this and also you on the market with nice guys, entertain everybody, simply have enjoyable.”
It wasn’t simply Charlie Woods chuckling at Jupiter Hyperlinks’ play. Tiger Woods was as nicely — particularly when Kisner bladed a shot from the sand, despatched it ricocheting off the pin as his teammates ducked for canopy.
“We truthfully didn’t suppose that anybody might probably get hit in right here,” Woods mentioned.
The golf could be successful. Woods hoped viewers watched till the top; Homa instructed that Duke followers would nonetheless be watching, because the Blue Devils have been taking part in Miami on ESPN after the golf ended. And Woods, who walked along with his son in a event final month, regarded like he was bodily sound — a minimum of within the sense that he didn’t appear to be holding something again whereas swinging.
Bodily, he mentioned he felt wonderful. So far as the golf: “The strolling’s not the problem. My sport’s not any good,” Woods mentioned.
Williams sat within the Los Angeles field simply to the suitable of the gamers’ teeing areas, having fun with the spectacle of the walk-out introductions, gentle and smoke reveals and booming music.
“It’s so wild,” Williams mentioned. “It’s one thing that you simply see slightly bit in tennis. We see it on a regular basis in basketball, proper? We don’t actually see it a lot in golf. Truly, we by no means see that in golf. It’s so good to form of see their personalities and see them shine as golfers. … It’s so cool to see a brand new side.”
