Tiger Woods has experienced just about every conceivable situation in nearly three decades as a professional, but it’s a safe bet he had never incurred a shot clock violation before Monday.
But that was the pickle Tiger found himself in after dilly-dallying for too long over an 8-foot birdie putt to halve the 10th hole against Rory McIlroy in the TGL match between the Jupiter Links GC and Boston Common Golf in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Woods was about to pull the putter back when his allotted 40 seconds expired and the buzzer sounded, handing the 15-time major winner an automatic one-stroke penalty, and thus costing him a chance of matching McIlroy’s birdie.
Though the event at the purpose-built 1,500-seat indoor arena was mostly fun and games, Woods looked grim walking off the green, seemingly muttering just a single inaudible word.
But Woods, as so often, had the last laugh. He made amends three holes later by sinking a 7-foot putt to halve the 13th hole, and he and Jupiter teammates Kevin Kisner and Tom Kim prevailed over Boston’s McIlroy, Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley in a sudden-death pitch-off after the teams had finished the regulation 15 holes tied at 3-3.
The TGL was jointly founded by Woods and McIlroy with TV sports executive Mike McCarley, and Monday was the first time the two superstars appeared together.
Players wore microphones to entertain viewers, but Woods said little that was audible, while his loquacious partner Kisner more than made up for it, making more quips than the other five players put together.
As McIlroy walked to the tee for the night’s opening drive, Kisner said “play well,” before adding, “well, actually, not that well.” He then needled McIlroy by yelling “a little snap hook will work good here.”
Muttered McIlroy: “That’s the spirit.”
Woods then quietly said, “This will be like 340 (yards) right down the middle.”
He wasn’t far off, as McIlroy hit it straight some 326 yards.
The league features six teams and a 15-match season. Monday’s match was the fourth of the season, and the second for Jupiter, who improved to 1-1. It was the first match for Boston.
Players hit tee and approach shots into a simulated screen that has hole layouts, greens, bunkers and anything else you’d see on a golf course. After the ball lands, the rest of the shots and putts are hit inside the facility.
With the teams tied at 3-3 at the last hole, Kim left a greenside bunker shot in the sand, before almost holing his next attempt as the ball caught a piece of the hole but stayed out.
Bradley subsequently missed a 15-foot putt for the win, sending the match to sudden death, in which Woods did not even have to participate.
Kim pitched it closer than Bradley, before Kisner got his attempt inside that of Scott’s, and it was all over.
–Field Level Media
