Golf will look a little different Tuesday night when TGL, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new simulator golf league, debuts on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET.
The inaugural match won’t feature Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club or McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf. Woods is expected to be present at Tuesday’s debut before his team tees up next Tuesday (there’s a tactical reason for delaying Woods’ first appearance).
Instead, TGL will make its grand entrance with New York Golf Club (Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick) facing The Bay Area Golf Club (Ludvig Aberg, Shane Lowry, and Wyndham Clark).
So, how does “Golf but on a screen in a dome” work?
Here’s a quick breakdown of the rules and format:
Each team will play five matches during the season. Before each match, the team will select three players to compete and one to sit out. Cameron Young (New York) and Min Woo Lee (Bay Area) will be sitting out Tuesday night.
The matches will be a 15-hole, 3-on-3 competition with two components.
The first nine holes will be a 3-on-3 alternate shot competition called “Triples.” The three players on each team will rotate who tees off on a hole and then rotate each shot from there. The final six holes will be a rotating head-to-head competition called “Singles.” “Singles” sees each player play two holes, with the competitors rotating after each completed hole.
For example: Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg will face each other on holes 10 and 13, Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler will play 11 and 14, and Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick will duel on 12 and 15.
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The scoring is straightforward. Each hole is worth one point, and the team with the fewest strokes on the hole wins. Ties are worth zero points, and the points do not carry over. Also, every match will go the full 15 holes even if the outcome is decided.
So, what if there’s a tie?
Glad you asked.
TGL has a unique overtime tiebreaker that will see all three golfers compete in a best-of-three, closest-to-the-pin competition. A team wins when it hits two shots closer than its competition.
There is also a shot clock in TGL. Each player will have 40 seconds to hit their shot, or else they will receive a one-stroke penalty. (Governing bodies take note.) Each team will have four timeouts per match, two timeouts per each of the two sessions. Unused timeouts do not carry over.
TGL also will introduce “The Hammer” on Tuesday night. The Hammer increases the value of the hole by one point. Only the team that holds The Hammer can play it (Bay Area won a coin toss to start with it Tuesday). A team can play The Hammer multiple times per hole to increase pressure on the opposing team. An opponent can decline to play The Hammer but will concede the hole. The Hammer will change possession each time its used.
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