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A triple stater from the President Day took place on Monday in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, while TGL took over the air waves with three nice games. Both Atlanta Drive and the Bay Golf Club were double duty, while Los Angeles Golf Club and Boston Common Golf both appeared.
The first match showed the full TGL experience -the new haar rule (which each team grants three hammers to use during the competition), a comeback for ages and another overtime session. In the end Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel and Patrick Cantlay from Atlanta proclaimed a 6-5 victory over Sahith teagala, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood (despite his heroic deeds) by Los Angeles.
Atlanta was Horschel in the second game to make room for the TGL debut of Lucas Glover. This trio celebrated against Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Åberg and Min Woo Lee from the Bay Golf Club, who started quickly and never looked back. While the game was bound late, Clark came up a link and won both holes in Singles to achieve a 6-5 victory and to ensure Atlanta.
The Primetime match was full of energy after two narrow matches when the bay tried to keep its undefeated record tact against Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf. Just like the first two, the last game needed all 15 holes to determine a winner with Clark who recorded the moment and traveled the third consecutive victory of the team with a closing eagle.
Let us look at every game again, together with take-away restaurants from the personal experience when I attended my first TGL match in the perspective of a spectator.
Match 1 – ATL: 6 | LAGC: 5
The man who puts down a few seats of me stated several times: “This is the biggest competition in the competition history” – unironic. To be honest, he was right and I don’t think he’ll be wrong for quite some time. Los Angeles took the opening sessions of Triples 3-2 and looked like it would run away with the game by taking the first two points of Singles.
Down with three with so many holes to play, Atlanta used a hammer at the start of the hole (that should be accepted), and it turned the match completely when Horschel provided Rose, which made a rubble heap around the vegetables. Fleetwood held Cantlay on the penultimate hole, but Thomas took matters in his own hands one hole later when he entered to force overtime. While Fleetwood made his pitch shot, which should just win the game (in my opinion), Horschel and Cantlay took the other two points and the victory in the process.
Match 2 – Bay: 6 | ATL: 5
Atlanta’s intoxicating hammer strategy could not make up for the slow start in this. De Bay took an early 3-0 lead thanks to some short-game Theatrics from Lee, who made his league debut and was not surprisingly made for the Arena. Atlanta cut the edge to one by the time triples was over. The lead of the bay doubled when Clark Cantlay cut the opening hole of singles. Thomas again threw the hammer against Lee, and again, he tied the game a few holes later. He had written overtime about it, but Clark forced Cantlay’s hand when he used a hammer while he held the benefit and took the decisive point at the third to give Atlanta his first loss of the year.
Match 3 – Bay: 5 | Bos: 4
Looking for Shane Lowry instead of Lee, the bay dropped early when Hideki Matsuyama used the hammer to perfection. The bay clawed his way back and led 3-2 at the end of triples before a singles session took place. Bradley bounced one of the greenside at no. 10 and cut Lowry in their second run to tie it. The stage for the last game between Clark and Matsuyama, it was the American who made the most from the moment when he turned his 9-foot Eagle Putt to push the bay on the season and on top of the rankings.
Live live
I did not necessarily know what I could expect when attending my first TGL competition, especially when I did this as a spectator. Seeing how players have hit a golf ball in a large screen, does not sound like he will move the needle at first sight, but I went in with an open mind to take full advantage of the experience.
After we had taken pictures of my father and his friend – a few boys from in the 60s who are exactly the opposite of the intended audience – with a virtual tiger forests, we went to our seats and waited for the action to start . Gameplay was explained, the DJ was introduced and players got their inputs. It was time.
In the game I assumed that I would miss it to hear the players chopping together, but I didn’t. Whether that says more about the players or myself, I’m not sure. However, what they did great was interaction with the crowd. Walking to the Green, Thetegala tried to consistently inject energy into the arena, while Horschel and Fleetwood threw golf balls for young children every chance they had – as if they were feeding hungry, hungry hippos.
The most surprising aspect can be how many fans were in the action. Not the children who have flooded the arena thanks to the presidents’ day holidays, but rather the adults, some of whom became so caught in the game that they started throwing the doubtful language at players (no joke!).
Located in perhaps the best area in the Arena-Laager level directly in line with the simulator screen and right next to the well surface, we were able to get close to shots such as Thomas’ chip-in to force overtime, Rose’s Kerfuffle that turned around the competition and Fleetwood’s Flair For the dramatic.
The repeated all a point that I made in the past: despite the fact that it was a technology -based golf leaa with many bright lights that pull Oohs and Aah’s, the best wave is still happening personally.
If you can swing it, you experience TGL for yourself at least once. The proximity of players and lack of jockeying that is needed to see that part of the world’s best does what they do best is a huge sales argument. Their guards are down, they enjoy it, and it not only translates to the Golf, but also the entire Arena.