Golf-From dream to virtual reality, Woods and McIlroy’s indoor league has debut match

Golf-From dream to virtual reality, Woods and McIlroy’s indoor league has debut match

Golf-From dream to virtual reality, Woods and McIlroy’s indoor league has debut match

 

Golf-From dream to virtual reality, Woods and McIlroy’s indoor league has debut match

 

After a one-year delay, the new tech-infused indoor golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy finally launched on Tuesday in Florida under bright lights in primetime, ushering in what organisers hope is a new chapter for the sport.

Unlike the genteel atmosphere reserved for typical golf events, TGL made a rollicking debut complete with strobe lights, smoke machines, enthusiastic player introductions and a DJ that helped to keep the mood elevated.

The virtual hole designs were also unlike anything players experience on tour, with golfers finding themselves playing on an active volcano, over an ocean cove, in a desert canyon, among mountain peaks and on a boomerang-shaped fairway.

While not competing in the season opener, 15-times major champion Woods and four-time major winner McIlroy were among those in attendance and both patrolled the playing area during warm-ups inside the custom-built arena that seats 1,500 people.

“Considering this was just a dream conjured up, Rory and I were talking about it; it’s hard to believe that dream came into reality and we are able to take golf into another stratosphere, really,” Woods said during the TV broadcast.

“It’s not traditional golf, yes, but it is golf and that’s the main thing and providing a different type of atmosphere.”

TGL is a hybrid of virtual and real-life play featuring teams of mic’d up PGA Tour players hitting shots at a five-storey-high simulator screen before moving to a green that can rotate 360 degrees, creating hole-to-hole variations.

The threesomes played alternate shot, or triples, over the opening nine-hole session, then switched to singles for a head-to-head round where each competitor played two full holes over the final six.

After players shook hands, 2019 British Open champion Shane Lowry of The Bay Golf Club realized he forgot his tee and, with a 40-second shot clock ticking, rushed to retrieve one before hitting the first shot in TGL history.

The fast-paced action also featured some unique rules, with Lowry’s team opting to play “The Hammer” early on to double the par-three third’s points value.

Lowry, Wyndham Clark and Ludvig Abverg held a commanding 6-1 lead over New York Golf Club’s Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick after the threesomes session before sealing a 9-2 victory.

“It’s absolutely amazing to see this come to fruition,” McIlroy said on the broadcast.

TGL was supposed to launch early last year but was delayed after the inflated dome of the host facility was damaged and later replaced with a steel-supported structure.

Woods will make his TGL debut next week with Jupiter Links Golf Club while Northern Irishman McIlroy is set to make his first start on Jan. 27 as part of Boston Common Golf.

 

 

Golf-From dream to virtual reality, Woods and McIlroy’s indoor league has debut match
Golf-From dream to virtual reality, Woods and McIlroy’s indoor league has debut match
After a one-year delay, the new tech-infused indoor golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy finally launched on Tuesday in Florida under bright lights in primetime, ushering in what organisers hope is a new chapter for the sport.

Unlike the genteel atmosphere reserved for typical golf events, TGL made a rollicking debut complete with strobe lights, smoke machines, enthusiastic player introductions and a DJ that helped to keep the mood elevated.

The virtual hole designs were also unlike anything players experience on tour, with golfers finding themselves playing on an active volcano, over an ocean cove, in a desert canyon, among mountain peaks and on a boomerang-shaped fairway.

While not competing in the season opener, 15-times major champion Woods and four-time major winner McIlroy were among those in attendance and both patrolled the playing area during warm-ups inside the custom-built arena that seats 1,500 people.

“Considering this was just a dream conjured up, Rory and I were talking about it; it’s hard to believe that dream came into reality and we are able to take golf into another stratosphere, really,” Woods said during the TV broadcast.

“It’s not traditional golf, yes, but it is golf and that’s the main thing and providing a different type of atmosphere.”

TGL is a hybrid of virtual and real-life play featuring teams of mic’d up PGA Tour players hitting shots at a five-storey-high simulator screen before moving to a green that can rotate 360 degrees, creating hole-to-hole variations.

The threesomes played alternate shot, or triples, over the opening nine-hole session, then switched to singles for a head-to-head round where

James

Not again 😭 in golf community as famous golf players were caught and being sentence to….   recent years, the global pandemic has changed a lot of things, and has me reflecting,” she said.  “It is time to slow down a little, focus more on my personal growth, and spend some time with my family.”  Feng told AFP in Tokyo it had been an honour to represent her country, for potentially the last time.  “We’re representing our own countries and we’re not playing for prize money, we’re playing for honour,” she said at Kasumigaseki Country Club, where she could not repeat her medal heroics of five years earlier, finishing eighth.  “Out of all my achievements, I would say a medal at the Olympics is very special,” said Feng, whose only major win came at the 2012 US PGA Championship.  “Even though I’ve been a major winner, think about it, we have five majors every year, in four years we have 20 chances to win a major.  ‘  “So I would say it’s harder, much harder, to get a medal at the Olympics. It was the most memorable moment of my career.”  Brought up in China’s southern Guangdong province, neighbouring Hong Kong, an 18-year-old Feng became the first Chinese player to earn an LPGA tour card in 2007.  The easy-going Feng went on to be the first Chinese player, man or woman, to win a major and lifted 10 LPGA titles during her 14 active years on the tour.  In 2017, Feng became the only Chinese golfer to date to reach the world No 1 ranking.  During a supremely consistent career, Feng registered 18 top-10 finishes in majors, two of them in 2021 even as she was winding down her playing commitments.

Not again 😭 in golf community as famous golf players were caught and being sentence to…. recent years, the global pandemic has changed a lot of things, and has me reflecting,” she said. “It is time to slow down a little, focus more on my personal growth, and spend some time with my family.” Feng told AFP in Tokyo it had been an honour to represent her country, for potentially the last time. “We’re representing our own countries and we’re not playing for prize money, we’re playing for honour,” she said at Kasumigaseki Country Club, where she could not repeat her medal heroics of five years earlier, finishing eighth. “Out of all my achievements, I would say a medal at the Olympics is very special,” said Feng, whose only major win came at the 2012 US PGA Championship. “Even though I’ve been a major winner, think about it, we have five majors every year, in four years we have 20 chances to win a major. ‘ “So I would say it’s harder, much harder, to get a medal at the Olympics. It was the most memorable moment of my career.” Brought up in China’s southern Guangdong province, neighbouring Hong Kong, an 18-year-old Feng became the first Chinese player to earn an LPGA tour card in 2007. The easy-going Feng went on to be the first Chinese player, man or woman, to win a major and lifted 10 LPGA titles during her 14 active years on the tour. In 2017, Feng became the only Chinese golfer to date to reach the world No 1 ranking. During a supremely consistent career, Feng registered 18 top-10 finishes in majors, two of them in 2021 even as she was winding down her playing commitments.

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