Shane Lowry hit the first tee shot in Tomorrow's Golf League (TGL) history as the first match of the new venture got underway in earnest on Tuesday.
The TGL, which includes Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods as driving forces, was played at SoFi Center, a custom-built 1,500-seat arena and saw Lowry and his Bay Golf Club team-mates roll to a 9-2 victory over New York Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
After getting a first taste of the competition, which takes the form of a high-tech indoor league featuring six teams and a 15-match season, Lowry said he liked the atmosphere inside the venue, but he needed some time to adjust.
First tee shot in TGL history. pic.twitter.com/WCGrfFBdRM
— TGL (@TGL) January 8, 2025
"It's quite an intimidating place to play golf because it's somewhere we're not used to," the Offaly man said.
Bay GC, who also include Ludvig Adberg, Wyndham Clark and Min Woo Lee - the latter sitting out this match - in their team, clinched the victory on tenth hole of the 15-hole match, which lasted just over two hours. The 15-hole course was custom-designed, and the competition is part virtual and part real life.
Players hit tee and approach shots into a simulated screen that has hole layouts, greens, bunkers and anything else you would see on a golf course. After the ball lands, the rest of the shots and putts are hit inside the facility.
The fans in attendance were allowed to be vocal - kind of different than the marshal at Augusta holding "quiet" or "no noise" signs.
New York's team consisted of Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick. Cameron Young was inactive.
A wrinkle the golfers had to get used to was the 40-second shot clock. A violation results in a one-stroke penalty.
"I didn't feel rushed," Fitzpatrick said. "I wish that was in real golf as well."
Teams rotate possession of the hammer. When used, the hammer doubles the point total of a given hole.
After Lowry hit the first tee shot in TGL history, the festivities got going.
Bay GC took a 1-0 lead on the first hole (The Plank) when Aberg made a 9-foot birdie putt.
After Fowler hit his tee shot, he professed to be feeling anxiety.
"This is a new environment," Fowler said. "So this isn't something we're fully used to. You feel the nerves a bit."
On the third (Set in Stone), Bay GC elected to use the hammer and Clark's ensuing seven foot putt was good and worth two points to give Bay GC a 3-0 advantage.
On the fourth hole (Boomerang), Lowry's four-foot putt boosted Bay GC's lead to four.
Aberg came up big on the fifth hole (Craic On) by sinking a 32-foot putt to make it 5-0.
New York earned its first point on the ninth hole (The Spear) to trail 6-1 at half-time.
When Bay GC won the tenth (Serpent), the victory was clinched - but the remaining five holes were still played due to season tiebreaker reasons (most holes won).
The TGL is starting up one year later than initially planned. The original arena roof collapsed during a storm in November 2023.
The four other teams in the league are Atlanta, McIlroy's Boston, Jupiter (Florida) and Los Angeles.
Next Tuesday, Los Angeles and Woods-led Jupiter square off in the league's second match.
Additional reporting: Reuters
