Live Updates, Reaction From TGL’s Opening Night

Opening night of the TGL has finally arrived. The tech-infused simulator golf league, backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, has been years in the making and has balls in the air—into a 60-foot screen—tonight.

The inaugural match is New York Golf Club (Rickie Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele) against the Bay Golf Club (Shane Lowry, Wyndham Clark and Ludvig Aberg).

Follow here for updates and reaction throughout the two-hour event.

The rout memes are on

A New York team getting thumped on TGL’s opening night, given the seasons just finished by the NFL’s Jets and Giants, led to plenty of social media ribbing. On the flip side, the dominant night by The Bay spawned some comparisons to great Bay Area pro teams:

The Bay Golf Club wins the inaugural TGL match

With Lowry’s victory on the 10th hole over Fowler, the Bay has officially won the match. The teams will continue to play however, as total holes won is a factor in postseason scenarios.

Rickie wayward

In the first shot of the Fowler/Lowry singles match, Rickie wipes one right into the penalty area, while Lowry narrowly avoids the penalty area on the left.

The match now heads to singles

New York wins first point of the night

New York Golf Club made a birdie on the par-5 8th, earning their first point of the night and cutting the lead to 6-1 going into singles.

New York throws a hammer

Desperate for momentum, New York Golf Club throws the hammer, making the par-3 7th hole worth two points.

New York continues to struggle

Xander Schauffele misses a par save on six and New York drops another hole, as the deficit grows to 6-0.

Tough putting?

Aberg’s bomb aside, the TGL putting green is making the players look silly at times. Woods made a good point on the broadcast—pros are used to putts doing the same thing on greens over time, but the moving TGL green gives them no frame of reference.

Aberg rolls in a bomb!

Ludvig Aberg makes a long putt on the par-3 5th to extend The Bay’s lead to 5-0

The Bay goes up 4-0

Ludvig Aberg tosses a dart into the par-5 4th hole and Shane Lowry converts the four-footer to give The Bay a commanding lead.

First “Hammer” thrown by The Bay

The Bay Golf Club threw down a “hammer” which made Wyndham Clark’s put worth two points instead of one on the par-3 third hole. Clark sunk the putt, giving The Bay a 3-0 lead through three holes.

Bay leads early

With a chance to win the hole for New York Golf Club, Matt Fitzpatrick’s 12-footer slides by on the right, and a par ties the second hole.

First penalty

Ludvig Aberg finds the penalty area on his second shot into the par-5 2nd.

One hole, one birdie

Bay Golf Club birdied the first hole in TGL history, as Wyndham Clark followed Shane Lowry’s tee shot with a tight approach and Aberg sank the putt.

First shot, fairway

TGL is officially underway, with The Bay Golf Club’s Shane Lowry striping one down the middle.

Tiger in the building

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy aren’t playing on opening night (Woods’s Jupiter Links team will play next week), but they’re on-site watching.