TGL’s triple-header was electric. Can it maintain the momentum?

Give TGL some credit. There have been positive steps in its 6-week existence — the Rory McIlroy vs. Tiger Woods night stands out as a big win — but also nights where the action fell flat. So scheduling a triple-header for Presidents’ Day — and without Woods on the tee sheet — was audacious.

I wasn’t sure it could provide enough juice for a 10-hour foray across ESPN and ESPN 2, but we were going to find out. The answer was a resounding Yes.

The day got off to a rousing start with an overtime match between the Atlanta Drive and Los Angeles Golf Club, including a chip-in from Justin Thomas that sent the match to OT, followed by a pitch-in by Tommy Fleetwood during the extra frame.

Monday was a display in what the league is doing right — having competitive golf in an environment that allows characters to shine — giving it hope of finding long-term success. Chief among Monday’s successes was the change to TGL’s “Hammer” rules, which gave each team three “hammer” tosses throughout the match.

Instead of having Patrick Cantlay pocket the hammer flag because the “EV’ wasn’t worth it, you had Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley discussing hammer strategy during the high-stakes end of their loss to Bay Golf Club. While the players are clearly still learning the best hammer strategy, the rule tweak injected more competitive life into the proceedings.

Another major part of Monday’s success was the players’ investment in the matches. Perhaps more than any before, they showed real energy.

All 14 players who played Monday also competed at the Genesis Invitational in La Jolla, Calif. All but two made the cut and many of them — including Genesis champ Ludvig Aberg — had late tee times on the West Coast, not arriving in Florida until early Monday morning. It would have been easy to see some of the players give a lukewarm effort on Monday, but instead there was unanimous buy-in.

You had Justin Thomas walking in putts and rolling on the ground when Lucas Glover chipped in from off the green. Keegan Bradley pulled off maybe the greatest shot of the night with a chip-in over a bunker, celebrating like he won the Super Bowl. Fist pumps were flying from Aberg, Fleetwood, Wyndham Clark and Hideki Matsuyama. Clutch chip-ins and putts were falling from everywhere. McIlroy and Aberg dueled in singles.

The formula has always been about the best players in the world caring and coaxing the viewers to invest in the outcome. If they care, the viewer cares.

TGL seems to know what it is and what it isn’t. McIlroy and Woods have been upfront about wanting the league to be additive to the professional landscape. They don’t want it to be a substitute for tournament golf, but hope it can drum interest from people who aren’t attached to traditional golf. Halfway through its first season, TGL seems to have a competitive identity. It has a backyard feel, playing around with college buddies, only with the best golfers on the planet, all of whom are competitive psychos.

The players also seem to be settling into their role as entertainers. The banter was never going to be the draw, but we are now getting insight into their thought processes and how they feel about the other players in the league. That was never more apparent than in their commentary around Aberg.

“Ludvig is just different,” McIlroy said after Aberg hit the longest drive in TGL history. “He’s feeling himself right now.”

In the second match, Thomas discussed how rare it is for Aberg to hit a bad shot.

Then there’s Clark, who is becoming one of the breakout stars of TGL due to his constant monologue and willingness to throw barbs at the opposing team.

Despite Monday’s good times, TGL remains imperfect.

The simulator tech still needs polishing. We can’t have Cantlay club-twirling as his shot sails right and into the bunker. He and Thomas were caught on their mics discussed how the ball was going right on the simulator. That’s not ideal.

It’s fair to wonder if TGL, which has golf’s two biggest needle-movers in Woods and McIlroy, needs some other big names to get involved. Could they get Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth? How about Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm or Brooks Koepka, in a world where they’re welcomed back to the PGA Tour?

TGL has showcased a nimbleness and adaptability during its first season, and we can expect bigger tweaks in the offseason. But halfway through its inaugural season, the momentum seems to be moving exclusively in the positive direction.