PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Tiger Woods was the sixth and final player to walk out of the tunnel onto the field for his TGL debut Tuesday night.
No one announced his name. No need.
Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” sounded, and that was enough for perhaps golf’s greatest player. It’s not like people inside Palm Beach State College’s SoFi Center don’t know who Woods is, and most probably even know how he, Rory McIlroy and others spent years trying to bring the concept of indoor golf to life on television.
“Now it’s a reality,” Woods said.
The second week of the TGL is Tuesday night as Woods joins Kevin Kisner and Max Homa of Jupiter Links Golf Club against Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala of Los Angeles Golf Club.
Final score: Los Angeles 12, Jupiter 1, a 15-hole, made-for-television team tournament that included nine holes of alternating-hit three-way games, followed by six holes of singles — each player on each team had his own. Two holes. Despite the lopsided score, Woods was smiling throughout. The entire game lasted more than two hours, and he only took 20 shots.
“We had a lot of fun,” said Woods, still smiling even after the rout ended in an arena just a few miles from his Jupiter Island home. “We hit a lot of balls. I think people out there should see how bad the pros are. It’s just a boat race, man. But we had a lot of fun.”
Woods’ team quickly put errors on the scoreboard and fell behind 5-0. It could have been worse had Woods not hit an 8-foot par to help his team tie the fifth hole. That putt came after Woods slid 7 feet wide to his left.
“It’s time, Tiger,” tennis legend Serena Williams said on ESPN broadcast. Williams is a longtime friend of Woods, so she found herself rooting for him — and she’s part of the Los Angeles Golf Club ownership group, so she found herself rooting for both.
Woods had some classic moments, such as staring down at his favorite ball as the ultra-high-tech video board narrated where the ball would fly outdoors. There were also frustrations; he shook his head after hitting a 101-yard wedge into the water on the second hole of the 15-hole tournament while his son Charlie sat in a seat overlooking the course. , unable to extricate himself. .
“This is unique. This is something the game of golf has never seen before,” Woods said. “You have an arena like this with great players that entertains everyone and has a good time.”
It’s not just Charlie Woods who’s giggling watching Jupiter Links play. So did Tiger Woods — especially when Kisner hit a shot from the sand that bounced off the pin while his teammates ducked for cover.
“Honestly, we didn’t think anyone could get hit here,” Woods said.
Homa apologized to the technology.
Apologies to all emulators around the world. We failed you tonight
— Max Homa (@Maxhoma) January 15, 2025
Golf may be popular. Woods hopes viewers will watch until the end; Homa said Duke fans will still be watching because ESPN is broadcasting the Blue Devils-Miami game after golf is over. Woods played in a tournament with his son last month and appeared to be in good health — at least not having any hindrances in his swing.
Physically, he said he feels good. As far as golf goes: “Walking isn’t an issue. I’m not a very good golfer,” Woods said.
Williams sat in the Los Angeles box, just to the right of the players’ tee box, enjoying the spectacle of exit introductions, light and smoke shows and blaring music.
“It’s crazy,” Williams said. “It’s something you see in tennis. We see it in basketball all the time, right? We don’t really see it that much in golf. In fact, we’ve never seen it in golf. a little.
This report used information from The Associated Press.
