Justin Rose was standing in the middle of the SoFi Center floor Tuesday night, heart jumping as the introductions were being made for the second-ever TGL match when the instantly recognizable opening notes of “Eye of the Tiger” thundered through the arena.
Each of the six players in the Tuesday night television show were allowed to pick their own walk-out music and when it came time for the final introduction, Tiger Woods walked into a future he helped create.
Maybe the song choice leaned toward cliché but not to Rose.
“A cool moment,” said Rose, who flew from Abu Dhabi Sunday night back to Florida to play his first TGL match.
The intro may have been the best moment for Woods and his Jupiter Links Golf Club teammates as they were almost humorously overmatched in a 12-1 loss to the Los Angeles Golf Club.
“We were entertaining. We hit a lot of shots. I think the people here, they got to see how bad pros can be,” Woods said, standing alongside his teammates Max Homa and Kevin Kisner.
It’s a fair observation.
“All jokes aside, this is an entertainment thing,” Homa said. “I do think today hopefully came across as fun. The matches will be closer.”
While Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala played with a noticeable purpose representing Los Angeles Tuesday night, the competition remains almost secondary to the TGL experience.
The secret sauce for this new cutting-edge creation: Personality.
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