“Hello, new world,” were the words Tiger Woods made famous when he ushered in a new era of golf in the now-iconic 1996 Nike ad. It's fitting that, 29 years later, it's the same man who opens the curtain for the next great sporting adventure.
On Tuesday, under the bright lights of the SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Woods and his business partner Rory McIlroy finally launched their TGL effort and, in doing so, dragged golf into the 21st century. But there was no street in sight. Instead, the latest innovative initiative to revolutionize the sport combines virtual golf with real competition.
And when Shane Lowry fired the first shot of the opening game onto a screen 64 feet wide and 53 feet high, from squares of grass in an intimate 1,500-seat indoor stadium, it became very clear, very quickly, that this It wasn't golf as we know it.
Strike songs, microphoned team trash talk, a non-stop blaring soundtrack from an in-house DJ, a 40-second shot clock, and a golf simulator. This wasn't your average golf event, this was a primetime television show.
Woods and McIlroy were in the building to witness their “tech-infused” creation begin its quest to capture a new audience of golf fans. They were captured before the game immersing themselves in the fruits of their labor, chatting with the players and discussing aspects of their multi-million-dollar venue.
But on Tuesday night it was not the duo who carried the weight of the venture on their shoulders.
Ludvig Aberg celebrates after impressing in The Bay's opening night win over New York
Tiger Woods sat back and watched as his new golf league in Florida was introduced to the world.
The impressive stadium is home to the future of golf, with rowdy fans and a DJ to entertain them.
Billy Horschel had said in December that the responsibility for success fell on the players. On Tuesday night, it was Lowry, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg, Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick who carried that pressure.
The six PGA Tour superstars were the first to be put to the test in a distinctive blend of virtual and reality golf on TGL's innovative stage as members of The Bay and New York Golf Club, the debuting teams in the league's marquee match. .
In TGL, professionals hit from grass or sand platforms onto the simulator screen which will record their distance and position.
After reaching the green zone, they switch to the short-game area, about the size of four basketball courts, to hole out, either taking the hole and a point, or nothing at all.
The showdown between the Bay Area and New York marked the first of 15 fast-paced, two-hour, three-on-three regular-season games in the long battle for the SoFi Cup.
SoFi Center has futuristic simulator technology that keeps everyone interested at all times.
Aberg and Shane Lowry celebrate during their Week 1 rout of New York
Fans inside the arena joined in the fun, waving their flags and even booing some shots.
The two teams will be joined by Atlanta Drive, Los Angeles, Boston Common and Jupiter Links in the battle for the SoFi Cup and a $21 million prize pool, and that team spirit was already on display Tuesday night.
Proud Irishman Lowry arrived at SoFi Center wearing a San Francisco Giants jersey in honor of The Bay, adding tunnel adjustments to the list of new things TGL is introducing to golf.
And it was the San Francisco team that drew first blood, slaughtering New York 9-2. But while it was a bloodbath, it was by no means a one-sided snoozefest.
At first, some of that pressure to perform seemed to be getting to them. Lowry admitted midway through the first hole that he had been so nervous that he had forgotten to bring a tee for his first shot, providing a hilarious snippet of inside commentary.
And that was not the only phrase the Irishman said. “I'm going to be the Scottie Scheffler of indoor golf,” he joked. 'A little like me. A little stocky,' another arrived who was just a shot away.
And that turned out to be the key to TGL's inaugural success: players with microphones. Snippets of the pros' banter, trash talk, and celebrations were captured for the entertainment of fans.
Schauffele, in particular, delivered on the comedy front. The New York captain attempted to steal Clark's hammer to try to force The Bay to throw it.
The Hammer, like the shot clock, was another of TGL's unique rules that brought the crowd to life. An innovation that risks everything, allows a team that currently has it to throw it to double the points for that hole.
Lowry paid tribute to The Bay by arriving at the game wearing a San Francisco Giants jersey.
Matt Fitzpatrick couldn't believe his luck when his tee shot missed the hole.
Lowry, Aberg and Wyndham Clark celebrate after defeating New York to get off to a perfect start
As it turned out, Lowry had nothing to worry about. He and his teammates Clark and Aberg proved to be a well-oiled machine. They took the first hole, thanks to Aberg's decisive putt, and never looked back.
“The last time I had this much fun was probably last September,” Lowry said, keeping the trash talk alive even in his post-match press conference with the reference to him and Aberg being members of the Ryder Cup-winning Team Europe. about Clark and the United States.
The crowd atmosphere inside SoFi Center wasn't much different from Marco Simone's raucous, hat-waving atmosphere, only with a dizzying nightclub twist.
Clark expected an NBA court atmosphere before TGL's debut. He got his wish.
The crowd inside SoFi Center was nothing short of loud. Fully buying into the experience, they stood waving free towels for holed putts, letting out exasperated groans and openly booing bad shots.
It was everything you wouldn't expect from a golf event. In fact, the entire experience was completely antithetical to the placid and calm nature of golf, in every way.
From the outside, the SoFi Center looks like an airplane hangar. Inside, “a glorified man cave,” as Fowler would later put it.
Upon arrival at the 250,000 square foot building located on PGA Boulevard, strobe lights flashed into the Palm Beach night sky. The flashing lights continued inside the arena, creating the feeling of a caffeine-fueled walk through Times Square. Electrical boards, which listed score, yards and player names, were beacons across the entire length of the playing area, which measures the size of an NFL field.
Woods was in the ESPN booth for some of the action while fans at home enjoyed the spectacle.
There's a $21 million prize pool and a dazzling league trophy up for grabs in the inaugural season.
DJ Khaled strutted around the field as players warmed up, while Mets owners and New York GC investor Steve Cohen and NBA legend Andre Iguodala headlined the team's VIP boxes.
The in-house DJ continuously blasted loud music, while the master of ceremonies demanded, “Ladies, let us hear you.”
But if the players were bothered by Taylor Swift saying “Shake It Off” or DMX saying “X Gon' Give It To Ya,” they didn't show it. In fact, they accepted it.
“I'm always so jealous of basketball players and football players because they can do this so much more than us,” Aberg admitted. 'It's great to play in a stadium. The crowd gets a little more excited. It's a lot of fun and it gets you going a little more.'
TGL's debut kept its promise. He presented pulse, rhythm and passion in a two-hour television program. The most important thing is that it was fun.
The excitement that swarmed before the final chapter of golf did not diminish the moment the first tee shot was hit, but rather increased during The Bay's formidable victory.
TGL has made no secret of its desire to target a new, younger audience and its debut delivered on its promise to keep existing fans entertained with a fresh and innovative spin on a game they already love and create intrigue for a new demographic by changing The name of golf is a captivating and energetic sport.
The Bay Area got off to a tremendous start in the first week by building a huge lead over New York.
Players warm up on the green inside SoFi Center as fans enter the arena
The only question that remains is: can it last? Its explosive debut has certainly caught fans' attention, but can it keep it?
Lowry had a quick solution when presented with the same dilemma: Tiger Woods.
The 15-time major winner is next in the spotlight when his Jupiter Links takes on Los Angeles on January 14 in one of the most anticipated golf events of the calendar year, not to mention just TGL.
The Big Cat has a magnetic pull no matter what he does, ensuring that even once the excitement of this week's premiere wears off, fans, at least for one more week, will come back for more.