Woods falls short of TGL debut

Tiger Woodswhose talent and charisma lifted golf to new heights during his prime, embarked on a new challenge Tuesday, when Debuted in the indoor golf league for the technology teams he founded with Rory McIlroy.

Woods, 49, was not at his best on a night where his Jupiter Links Golf Club was defeated by the Los Angeles Golf Club, 12-1but the best player of his generation still enjoyed the exciting twist on this ancient game.

A week after its release, TGL introduced the biggest name to its roster in hopes that Woods could help the sport cultivate a newer, younger audience.

A smiling Woods, with his mother and son Charlie among the 1,500 spectators, arrived on the field in a red shirt and white pants, as “Eye of the Tiger” played over the loudspeakers.

And although the atmosphere is very different from pristine Augusta National, where woods has won five Masters titles, the 15-time winner of majors He continued to capture the public’s attention for the two hours the match lasted, even though he was far from his best level.

After missing the cut at the 2024 British Open, Woods underwent back surgery in September and did not compete again until playing with his son in a 36-hole event in December.

Before taking the first hit of the night on a five-story simulator screen, Woods did his part to warm up the crowd by using “The Hammer,” which doubled the value of the par-four first hole to two points..

woodswho alternated with his teammates Kevin Kisner and Max Homa, Then he found the fairway with a 270-yard shot. before splitting the hole with the Los Angeles trio of Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala.

Despite being on the wrong end of a loss, Jupiter Links managed to have some fun at his expense with Kisner jokingly asking Woods’ son if he wanted to play.

Woods was tied with Rose on the first hole of their two-hole individual showdownbut failed in the secondwhere he found water on the tee and then hit a bunker in the same hazard.