PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Tiger Woods was the sixth and remaining participant to emerge from the tunnel and onto the sector of play for his TGL debut on 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 ever. It’s not like anybody inside SoFi Middle at Palm Seaside State Faculty didn’t know who Woods was, and most have been even most likely conscious of how he, Rory McIlroy and others spent years making an attempt 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.
The ultimate rating: Los Angeles 12, Jupiter 1 within the 15-hole, made-for-TV group match that includes 9 holes of alternate shot triples play, adopted by six holes of singles play — two holes for every participant on every group. 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 stated, nonetheless laughing even after the rout ended inside the sector constructed only a few miles from his Jupiter Island house. “We hit a number of photographs. I feel the folks there obtained to see how unhealthy execs might be. It was only a boat race, oh my goodness. However we had a good time.”
Woods’ group obtained on the incorrect facet of the scoreboard rapidly, falling behind 5-0. It may have been worse if Woods hadn’t made an 8-footer for par to assist his group get a tie on the fifth gap. That putt got here one gap after Woods slid a 7-footer extensive to the left.
“It’s 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 in opposition to him.
There have been classic Woods moments, like staring down photographs he appreciated because the super-high-tech video boards advised the story of the place the ball would have gone open air. 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 chortle.
“That is distinctive. That is one thing that golf has by no means seen earlier than,” Woods stated. “You have got 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 effectively — 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 assume that anybody may probably get hit in right here,” Woods stated.
The golf is likely to be a success. Woods hoped viewers watched till the tip; Homa prompt 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 together with his son in a event final month, regarded like he was bodily sound — no less than within the sense that he didn’t appear to be holding something again whereas swinging.
Bodily, he stated he felt tremendous. So far as the golf: “The strolling’s not the difficulty. My sport’s not any good,” Woods stated.
Williams sat within the Los Angeles field simply to the best 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 stated. “It’s one thing that you just 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 facet.”
