Tiger Woods makes debut, preview, Jupiter Hyperlinks vs Los Angeles

Final 12 months was sobering, and onerous to digest, for anybody conversant in the needle-moving exploits of Tiger Woods in his pomp.

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Expectations could have been low. Woods had already defied all odds to win a significant with a fused backbone at 43. To anticipate one other miracle was to be grasping.

However this? An 82 on the Masters — his worst-ever rating at Augusta — adopted by three-straight missed cuts on the PGA Championship, US Open and The Open?

The latter noticed the 15-time main winner exit with a whimper after carding 14-over throughout the primary two rounds. One man shouted from the Royal Troon stands “thanks for coming, Tiger,” and an outpouring of sympathy and respect adopted — a scene extra conversant in farewells.

Solely, Woods wasn’t bidding farewell. This was simply one other depressing missed reduce at a significant to throw on his ever-expanding junkpile.

You may’ve questioned for a way for much longer Woods might maintain doing this to himself?

Furthermore, you may’ve questioned for a way for much longer you would probably abdomen watching?

Quick ahead to December and Woods was taking part in in-front of the cameras once more, this time along with his son, Charlie, on the PNC which they narrowly misplaced to Bernhard Langer and his youngest son, Jason.

Of larger curiosity to the golf world, nevertheless, was the upcoming debut of tech-infused, indoor competitors, TGL, which Woods is spearheading with Rory McIlroy.

Requested concerning the revolutionary league, Woods responded: “I hope that we are able to invigorate the sport, as a result of it undoubtedly wants it proper now”.

Maybe a extra correct six-word response would’ve been “I undoubtedly want it proper now”.

The times of Woods prowling the greens, defeating his opponents mentally earlier than doing the identical on the scorecard are, in all chance, lengthy gone.

After a number of main operations — together with spinal fusion surgical procedure, and those who rebuilt a leg shattered in a high-speed, one-car crash in California 4 years in the past — Woods can’t maintain strolling 72 golf holes whereas remaining aggressive.

Golf as we all know it has slipped away from one of many best maestros within the historical past of all skilled sports activities. 2024 made that painfully clear.

However a {golfing} behemoth, with the gravitational pull of Woods, can do one thing arguably no different star can: He can merely carry the sport to him.

That is probably the most unstated facet of TGL, which returns on Wednesday (11am AEDT) with Woods’ Jupiter Hyperlinks taking over Los Angeles Golf Membership.

TGL is many issues: It’s a futuristic play to focus on new demographics, an revolutionary push into tv prime time, and a monetary reward for giant PGA Tour stars who refused to hitch LIV.

These TGL elements are well-known, and have been analysed in forensic depth both aspect of week one.

However the elephant within the room this week shall be how TGL seems with Woods at its centre, and the way it will reward him most of all.

Golf’s most bodily demanding part, strolling up and down hills for 4-6 hours for 4 days straight, asks an excessive amount of of Woods’ battered physique.

However Woods’ abilities are nonetheless spectacular, whereas his rebuilt swing is arguably the very best he’s ever had.

As such, TGL — by which Woods will solely must take 20-30 photographs, and stroll no additional than the gap from the simulator tee field to the inexperienced about 45 metres behind it — is the right match for his situation.

To be clear, TGL desperately wants Woods to get off the bottom. A novel idea like TGL can solely get its foot within the door with wholesome endorsement, and Woods’ is the largest the sport has to supply.

How a lot Woods’ endorsement is value is unclear, but it surely’s value noting that he turned down a pitch from LIV Golf that might’ve seen him make A$1 billion throughout a wholesome sign-on price and crew fairness.

Simply having him on the TGL flooring, in any situation, feels important.

However the truth that the format locations a premium on talent and efficiency beneath stress, whereas devaluing power and stamina, performs massively into Woods’ arms.

Not solely can he be a figurehead for the competitors, however the 49-year-old can genuinely be its greatest star.

In a roundtable discussing TGL on Golf.com, the publication’s information and options editor James Colgan mentioned: “I feel Tiger shall be nice competitively.

“I feel we’ll have the ability to study lots about his golf swing. I don’t assume we’ll study a lot about the way it will put on over 72 holes. Nonetheless, it’s higher than nothing.”

Josh Sens agreed, saying he “expects Woods to excel” within the TGL format, whereas senior author Dylan Dethier added that merely seeing the legend taking part in once more is “motive sufficient to have fun”.

All of that is to say that Woods and TGL’s union has all of the makings of a mutually helpful state of affairs.

Woods’ involvement within the event has already generated important buzz with the discharge of imaginative and prescient from simply two photographs.

One shot was unveiled in December, displaying Woods unleashing a full-blooded drive that struck the simulator 32 metres forward of him with such ferocity that it appeared like a gunshot reverberating across the SoFi Centre.

The second got here on opening evening, displaying how Woods, on-demand, struck a ball right into a digital camera on-top of the simulator display.

A mic’d up Woods claimed in a dialog with McIlroy and TMRW Sports activities founder Mike McCarley that it took him only one shot to drag it off.

The shot alone generated headlines with the Day by day Mail describing it as an “unimaginable second”, whereas Specific mentioned Woods had “stole the limelight” along with his “outstanding precision”.

The 2 off-Broadway moments additionally level to how TGL can strip again the as soon as heavily-guarded mystique round Woods.

{The golfing} big was as soon as the most-hardened, insular determine on the PGA Tour, identified to recurrently snub taking part in companions, media and followers.

It’s taken round a quarter-of-a-century, however Woods has successfully achieved a 180, opening himself as much as apply rounds with colleagues, providing his time extra generously to the media, whereas TGL goals to cater to followers by placing their viewing expertise first.

This contains being given unprecedented perception into the world of Woods when in, and round, competitors.

By being the central determine of the whole enterprise, who’s mic’d up continuously, Woods will supply the world hours of content material — together with apply photographs and trick photographs — that after would’ve gone fully unheard.

The content material was already rolling in on evening one when Woods sat simulator-side and sledged Xander Schauffele.

“Fairly frankly really, he ought to have holed it,” Woods mentioned with amusing as Schauffele hit a chip-shot shut to ensure his crew a par.

This was only a small chunk of what’s to come back with Woods being a infamous heckler who has softened in direction of, and befriended, a few of his opponents within the latter phases of his profession.

For all the controversy round whether or not TGL could make it long-term, nobody can argue in opposition to his involvement alone being field workplace.

Extra Woods is just what the golf world has lengthy craved, and now it’s about to get it.

And what’s going to excite TGL organisers additional is that Woods’ debut comes off a powerful begin with week one numbers displaying, if nothing else, a widespread curiosity within the occasion.

In accordance with Nielsen, a median of 919,00 US viewers tuned in in the course of the 9-11pm ET timeslot, which is bigger than any LIV Golf broadcast in America throughout 2023 and 2024, and 200,000 greater than a Duke-Pittsburgh faculty basketball sport in the identical time window on ESPN final 12 months.

Week two is nearly assured to be even greater given it can function Woods — a shrewd play by organisers to maximise its possibilities of viewers coming again for a second week.

“This factor doesn’t need to be the U.S. Open to reside a helpful life,” famous Alex Kirshner of Slate Journal. “If it offers informal followers an extended horizon to look at Tiger Woods play some model of aggressive golf, then it can have a use case,”

In the meantime, The Bay’s Shane Lowry mentioned all of it concerning the gravity of Woods’ presence when requested after the inaugural match whether or not TGL can keep away from being a passing fancy.

“Properly we’ve bought Tiger Woods subsequent week, so I do know we’ll be alright subsequent week anyway, I do know that,” he mentioned.

The viewing numbers on Wednesday are destined to be massive as soon as extra and TGL will do nicely to cash-in on the second, even when it’s by way of second-hand means with followers flocking to see Woods.

After all, Woods rifling balls right into a display and bantering his rivals isn’t precisely him slipping on one other inexperienced jacket, or hoisting the Claret Jug.

However one factor is for sure: It certain beats seeing a legend crumble on the course in actual time, and the bitter style it leaves.