There will be plenty of intrigue in Tiger Woods’ TGL debut.
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Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s arena simulator golf league, TGL, returns Tuesday night after a successful debutand this time, it is pulling out the big gun.
After expenses first night of TGL in the broadcast booth and stands, Woods will make his league debut as his Jupiter Links GC team takes on Los Angeles GC. Max Homa and Kevin Kisner will join Woods, while LAGC will tap Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose and Sahith Theegala.
Tiger’s (semi-)return to golf is the headline, but it’s only the tipping point for a night that’s full of potential for golf’s innovative league.
Here are 4 story lines we’re looking at:
1. The cat is back
You’re telling me we’re going to get to watch Tiger Woods play golf for two hours in the middle of January inside a state-of-the-art facility with no hills to walk?
I’m inside.
Tiger’s TGL debut doesn’t mean anything about his ability to return to major championship competition, but we’ll get a chance to see the greatest golfer of all time potentially put on a show while the mic along with two of the great golf trash talkers in Kisner and Homa.
Sprinkle in TGL’s unique hole designs – some good, some very bad – and you have a recipe for two hours of fun and definitely funny for golf fans.
2. Will they beat the whole clock?
TGL shot clock it was universal glorified on the first night, with Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick both suggesting that the PGA Tour adopt some version of the idea.
No one from either side managed to beat the horn during the inaugural TGL match. Based on shot clock data published by TGL, Wyndham Clark took longer to play his shots; Clark had an average remaining time of 15.85 seconds, while Fitzpatrick was second at 17.88 seconds.
The race against time will continue to be something to watch on Tuesday, especially on the greens with Homa and Rose using the AimPoint method. Will they stick to their process in TGL’s green complex, or must they find an AimPoint Express method to beat the clock?
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GOLF editors
3. Singles will be more interesting?
While the first night of TGL was fun, the excitement dropped during the second hour when the match went into singles. Perhaps this was a product of the “Bay GC” coming to New York GC. Maybe it’s a flaw in the concept that the league should step in.
The entertainment value will essentially increase if the score is close and the joke is elevated. But what if it’s another explosion? What if Tiger, one of the greatest competitors in the history of the sport, turned up the intensity and focused hard, and the trash talk disappeared?
The final six holes will continue to be the most important for TGL each week. The league will draw viewers first, especially on Tuesdays, to watch Woods. But can he hold them as the match goes on?
4. The tiger’s anthem
Like No Laying Up’s DJ Piehowski pointed out in Xwhatever song Woods chooses for his TGL matches will become part of the golf lexicon.
Will it be…
Eye of the Tiger?
The return of Mack (Santa)?
(Day of the Sun) Red?
You’re on the clock, Tiger.
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