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"I'm not definite we'll interruption 100 shots" was Tiger Woods' verdict of his team's woeful show connected his Tomorrow's Golf League debut successful Florida.
Two hours earlier the 15-time large champion bounded into the purpose-built arena - to the dependable of the Survivor classical Eye of the Tiger - with a immense grin connected his face, declaring helium was determination to "have fun".
Despite his Jupiter Links squad suffering a 12-1 decision by Los Angeles, helium said helium was "still hurting from laughing truthful hard".
There were surely much farcical scenes astatine the Sofi Center than successful the opening week, with Woods, Max Homa and Kevin Kisner bordering connected being the people clowns, often forgetting their people and hitting careless shots.
But then, that's possibly portion of the charm. This is, aft all, a made-for-TV amusement entertainment that Woods says is designed to "showcase play and turn the game".
"We deed six punishment areas, I had 2 shots retired of a bunker and Kis astir killed someone," said Woods of his team's efforts implicit the 15 holes.
Woods' 15-year-old lad Charlie was among the 1,500 oregon truthful fans successful the surrounding the shot pitch-size playing arena and, according to Homa, the teenager's succinct summation was "we're not precise good".
TGL is simply a technology-led indoor play league developed by Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Six teams volition vie against each different successful a round-robin format implicit the coming weeks, starring to semi-finals and a best-of-three last successful precocious March.
Each week 2 teams of 3 players vie against each different implicit 15 holes.
The opening 9 holes diagnostic each 3 players connected each squad hitting alternate shots. Tee shots are thudded into a 60ft precocious simulator surface from a region of 35 yards, with the enactment switching to the existent beingness short-game analyzable erstwhile the shot is wrong 50 yards of the hole. After each spread the short-game country is rotated and a caller greenish is created by the 600 motors beneath its surface.
The last six holes are played head-to-head with each subordinate playing 2 holes.
The scoring is simple. Win a hole, triumph a point. The squad with the astir points aft 15 holes wins 2 points successful the league. A closest-to-the pin play-off volition determine the victor successful tied matches.
There is besides the tactical 'hammer', which tin beryllium utilized by the broadside successful possession to treble the points connected connection connected a spread should they triumph it.
Watched by tennis fable Serena Williams, who co-owns the LA team, England's Justin Rose and his American team-mates, Sahith Theegala and erstwhile Open champion Collin Morikawa, raced into a 5-0 pb aft 4 holes.
The hammer was hardly utilized successful the opening week, but Woods threw it down earlier the archetypal shot had been struck connected Tuesday evening and, portion the opening spread was halved, LA, who won the 2nd hole, secured treble points connected holes 3 and four.
Rose poured successful a 10-footer to triumph the third, portion a Woods miss from 7 feet connected the adjacent handed LA 2 much points.
Rose was again connected people from six feet connected the sixth, holing his putt amid a cacophony of good-natured boos from a assemblage hopeless to spot the location squad chalk up a archetypal point.
"I'm digging it, I'm loving it," said Rose aft nailing a 12-footer to triumph the eighth, and LA were 8-1 up and cantering aft picking up different hammer-inspired two-pointer connected the ninth.
Theegala was likewise impressed aft noticing his shot velocity of 184mph among the on-screen stats aft his tee changeable connected the ninth. "I've ne'er deed that successful a tournament," helium said, though the expected penetration from having players deterioration microphones has chiefly been constricted to laughs and trying to enactment disconnected the opposition.
In an effort to support the amusement worth high, Spandau Ballet's 'Gold' blared retired portion erstwhile Olympic champion Rose deed a shot. Spotlights often scudded astir the arena.
Rose took connected Woods successful the singles but the sporting contention already felt over. Woods, who hardly played past year, looked retired of touch, peculiarly connected the greens. He three-putted the 10th aft hitting a 35ft putt 14ft past the hole.
And Kisner, who was wayward disconnected the tees, said "how did I marque six?" earlier conceding the 11th to Morikawa arsenic Jupiter went 9-1 down.
Morikawa executed an fantabulous flop changeable disconnected the artificial grass, and Rose tried to slam dunk a spot changeable consecutive into the spread from adjacent scope arsenic LA showcased their golfing skills, while, with the lucifer lost, Kisner and Homa discussed if they could get relegated for being the worst TGL team.
Kisner past provided the precocious belly laughs with a high-handicapper mishit retired of a bunker connected the 14th that crashed into the flagstick and flew crossed the different broadside of the green, starring to players and fans ducking for cover. It was bordering connected farcical earlier helium astir holed the 50ft instrumentality shot.
"We honestly didn't deliberation that anyone could get deed successful here," Woods said. "That was honestly 1 of the funniest things I've seen. And past the spot shot, the adjacent one, should person gone in. It was conscionable 1 of those weird nights."
Sport and amusement successful the sanction of increasing the game.
English (US)