PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Tiger Woods was the sixth and ultimate participant to emerge from the tunnel and onto the sector of play for his TGL debut Tuesday evening.
Nobody introduced his title. Wasn’t vital.
Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” blared and that was greater than sufficient of an introduction for maybe golf’s biggest participant. It isn’t like anybody inside SoFi Middle at Palm Seashore State School did not know who Woods was, and most have been even most likely 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 stated.
Week 2 of TGL was Tuesday evening — 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.
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The ultimate rating: Los Angeles 12, Jupiter 1 within the 15-hole, made-for-TV staff match that includes 9 holes of alternate shot triples play, adopted by six holes of singles play — two holes for every participant on every staff. Woods was smiling all through, even with the lopsided rating. The format is such that he took solely 20 photographs over the course of the match, which lasted simply over two hours.
“We have been entertaining,” Woods stated, nonetheless laughing even after the rout ended inside the sector constructed only a few miles from his Jupiter Island residence. “We hit numerous photographs. I believe the folks there obtained to see how dangerous professionals may be. It was only a boat race, oh my goodness. However we had a good time.”
Woods’ staff obtained on the unsuitable aspect of the scoreboard rapidly, falling behind 5-0. It might have been worse if Woods hadn’t made an 8-footer for par to assist his staff get a tie on the fifth gap. That putt got here one gap after Woods slid a 7-footer huge to the left.
“It is about time, Tiger,” tennis legend Serena Williams stated on the ESPN broadcast. Williams is a longtime good friend of Woods, so she discovered herself rooting for him — and she or he 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 videoboards informed 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 his son, Charlie, sitting in one of many seats within the enviornment overlooking the course, could not assist however snicker.
“That is distinctive. That is one thing that golf has by no means seen earlier than,” Woods stated. “You’ve gotten 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 properly — particularly when Kisner bladed a shot from the sand and despatched it ricocheting off the pin as his teammates ducked for canopy.
“We truthfully did not suppose that anybody might presumably get hit in right here,” Woods stated.
Homa apologized to the know-how.
Apologies to all simulators worldwide. We failed u tonight
— max homa (@Maxhoma) January 15, 2025
The golf is likely to be successful. Woods hoped viewers watched till the top; Homa steered that Duke followers would nonetheless be watching, because the Blue Devils have been enjoying Miami on ESPN after the golf ended. And Woods, who walked along with his son in a match final month, appeared like he was bodily sound — at the very least within the sense that he did not appear to be holding something again whereas swinging.
Bodily, he stated he felt wonderful. So far as the golf: “The strolling’s not the problem. My sport’s not any good,” Woods stated.
Williams sat within the Los Angeles field simply to the correct of the gamers’ teeing areas, having fun with the spectacle of the walk-out introductions, gentle and smoke reveals and booming music.
“It is so wild,” Williams stated. “It is one thing that you simply see a little bit bit in tennis. We see it on a regular basis in basketball, proper? We do not actually see it a lot in golf. Truly, we by no means see that in golf. It is so good to form of see their personalities and see them shine as golfers. … It is so cool to see a brand new side.”
Info from The Related Press was used on this report.
