As TGL enters the back nine of its inaugural season, the simulator-infused league is building momentum for a solid first-year score.
To continue the golf parlance, TGL closed the front nine with an eagle after three pulsating matches on Presidents Day that all came down to the last stroke, thanks to a major change with the “hammer” rule.
Now, can they finish it off? Billy Horschel of the Atlanta Drive Golf Club has no doubt they can.
“I think for a new startup, we’ve been very successful,” said Horschel, who did the Dirty Bird dance before his first match, a nod to Drive/Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. “The viewership has been unbelievable. And the further we go on, the more that we can have fans from the cities sort of attached, sports fans understanding what this is about and the excitement.”
By all the important metrics, TGL has succeeded in introducing a combination of video golf (drives and approaches) and traditional golf (real-life chipping and putting) while adding a side of trash talk among the players. One of TGL’s goals was for fans to see the players’ personalities come out as opposed to their stoic demeanor on the PGA Tour.
Case in point: When Tiger Woods thought he had 99 yards to the hole Tuesday night, but instead had 199. The reaction from his teammates when his wedge came up 99 yards short was priceless. The GOAT had goofed.
“That was one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever done,” a smiling Woods said later.
Anything that personalizes Woods is great for fans to see.
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