- The big question is whether the fusion of technology and t-shirts will be able to attract young people.
- Tiger Woods' inclusion in a week's time should increase interest
There was no lack of enthusiasm as Tiger Woods congratulated himself in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
When his technological vision of the future of golf was unveiled in Palm Beach, Florida, he declared that the sport had been taken “to another stratosphere.”
So, we might choose to attribute it to altitude sickness. But as opening nights go, Tomorrow's Golf League's debut wasn't bad at all.
It wasn't great either, but TGL is hardly the desecration of the old game that some purists will talk about. Those people were never the target audience for Woods' collaboration with Rory McIlroy, which culminated in this $50 million masterpiece, where shots were played on a 64-foot-tall screen before teams of three elite golfers They will play on an artificial green.
The big question is whether that fusion of technology and t-shirts (and a 2am start for UK audiences) will be able to attract a younger audience. The star of the production was undoubtedly the impressive devices, especially a putting green that could be contorted to simulate 30 different putting surfaces.
The pace of play – two hours to complete the 15-hole format, bookended by 40-second shot clocks – was also a balm to the usual tedium, even if Patrick Cantlay's introduction in a fortnight's time might challenge that aspect.
Tiger Woods' TGL debuted in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but the jury is still out
Ludvig Aberg's Bay Golf Club, Wyndham Clark and Shane Lowry were the first winners
The impressive devices on display certainly deserve attention, but this expensive venture will need competitive relevance and intensity to sustain itself.
But those components will hardly be considered game-changers. While a lava-lined street is certainly different, this expensive venture will need competitive relevance and intensity to sustain itself.
With 18 more nights of games between the six teams over the next 11 weeks, the novelty will need help from games that are much closer than the 9-2 drubbing inflicted by Ludvig Aberg, Wyndham Clark and Shane Lowry (The Bay Golf Club) to Matt. Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele (New York Golf Club). At times, their collective vibe was stuck somewhere between Gladiators and It's a Knockout.
It is unknown what the LIV brigade did with this. It wasn't long ago that its altered format, silly team names, tee-box music and contrived banter were derided as horsemen of a sporting apocalypse. TGL is clearly part of the response to that dissident circuit, and yet it imitated several of its traits.
Where they differ is that this last idea is a harmless addition to the existing landscape, not a confrontation.
Woods' inclusion will help TGL prove its worth. He will play next Wednesday representing Jupiter Links Golf Club, which, in the absence of significant Tour participation, makes TGL one of the few access points to one of the most attractive individuals in the sport. The number of star names, including McIlroy, is an added bonus, but the biggest payoff will only come if the cast shows some authentic personality.
That may not be enough for TGL to break through the stratosphere. But at a time when golf's image has been tarnished by money grabbing, it could still play a role in improving the look of the sport here on Earth.