Despite struggling for form in the inaugural season of TGL, co-founders Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy still managed to pocket some prize money for their efforts.
Both Woods and McIlroy were instrumental in launching the simulator league alongside Mike McCarley. After a year’s delay, the league’s first-ever campaign concluded this week with Atlanta Drive being crowned as the champions after defeating New York Golf Club in the final.
Atlanta and New York, the two lower-seeded teams, made it to the playoffs, finishing third and fourth respectively behind The Bay Golf Club and Los Angeles Golf Club.
Unfortunately, both Woods’ and McIlroy’s teams found themselves outside the playoffs. Woods’ Jupiter Links franchise ended up fifth in the league standings, missing out on the semi-final cut line.
Woods and his team managed a single win at the SoFi Center in their five matches, which came against McIlroy’s Boston Common teammates who finished last in the regular season standings. It was a challenging debut year for the Northern Irishman and his team, who didn’t manage to secure a single victory.
Their only point in their five matches came from their defeat to Jupiter, where they managed to push the match into overtime. Despite the disappointing campaign, both Boston and Jupiter secured a share of the $17.5 million TGL prize pot for the first season.
The Boston team received a $1.5 million payout, with its players, including McIlroy, Bradley, Scott, and Matsuyama, earning $375,000 each. Meanwhile, the Jupiter team took home $1.75 million, with Woods, Kim, Kisner, and Homa receiving $437,500 each.
The Bay team split $2 million, and Los Angeles earned $2.25 million. The New York team received $4.5 million, and the winning team, Atlanta Drive, secured the $9 million top prize.
(Image: Cliff Hawkins/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images)
Billy Horschel clinched the winning moment, and his enthusiasm was evident as he celebrated on the green, tossing his cap in excitement. Reflecting on the event’s impact, Horschel stated, “I never ever imagined we’d be playing golf in an arena with a big simulator and people and music and chanting. Yeah, it’s been really cool and has sort of exceeded all of our expectations.”
“It is just really cool to be a part of something with these guys. Team competitions are special. I’ve only been a part of one, the Presidents Cup in ’22.
“You hear the stories. You hear how fun it is. Obviously, it’s more exciting when you win a team competition, there’s no doubt, but spending time with these guys, obviously I know them very well, but just being in something that is competitive, you feel energy, you feel the nerves, it just brings you closer together.”
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
