Shane Lowry earned the match-winning point and Ludvig Åberg played a key role as The Bay Golf Club thrashed New York Golf Club 9-2 in the first match of TGL's inaugural season.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were among those watching at the purpose-built SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Florida for the inaugural event of the tech-packed golf league, launched by their company TMRW Sports, which sees the PGA Tour stars go head-to-head – headlining teams and using a combination of… Virtual and real play.
Lowry, Aberg and Wyndham-Clark led 6-0 after just six holes in the 15-hole contest, which is played using an alternate shot – or three – in the opening nine-hole session, then secured victory early in singles before extending their margin of victory.
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Ludvig Åberg hits a huge putt during the TGL season opener, impressing Tiger Woods in the process!
Bay Golf Club has two points and leads the season-long SoFi Cup standings, while New York Golf Club — consisting of Xander Scheufele, Matt Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler on opening night — remains winless.
A historic night for TGL
Lowry hit the opening shot of the historic contest and watched on just minutes later when Åberg drilled a nine-foot birdie putt into The Plank — the driveable four-putt that was used as the first hole — for an early 1-0 lead.
The Bay opened with 'The Hammer', which gives the team the opportunity to put their opponents under pressure by doubling the value of the hole, with Clarke taking advantage of the third third by hole-in seven feet and moving them three forward.
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Wyndham Clark and The Bay Golf Club dropped the 'hammer' during the third hole, taking the lead!
Åberg launched a nice approach on the fifth to set up a birdie from within range for Lowry, with the Swede pulling The Bay further by draining a 32-foot birdie on the fifth and helping them to a stress-free win. the next day.
New York GC didn't get its first point until the par-5 ninth, where a crafty putt from Fitzpatrick led to a birdie reception, before Lowry beat Fowler on the opening hole of singles to give The Bay an unassailable five-hole advantage. To spare.
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Shane Lowry earned the winning point for The Bay, despite Rickie Fowler's efforts to stop him!
Clarke and Aberg won the next two holes before Fowler ended the streak with a win over Lowry on the 13th, with the contest ending one-sided with the two teams sharing the spoils on both the final single holes.
“It was great,” Oberg said after their win. “I've always said I'm very jealous of basketball and football players because they do that a lot and we don't.
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New York Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club enter the TGL Arena with an atmosphere never before seen at a golf event
“So, it's great to be part of that stadium-like feel, and it makes it go a little different than a regular golf tournament.”
Speaking about the inaugural event, Woods told ESPN: “This was just a dream come true. Rory and I were talking about it; it's hard to believe that this dream has come true and we've been able to take the game of golf to another stratosphere, really.” “
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New York Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club enter the TGL Arena with an atmosphere never before seen at a golf event
What's next?
The season opener continues on January 14, when Woods Jupiter Links Golf Club takes on Los Angeles Golf Club under two-time major champion Collin Morikawa.
Coverage begins from 2am on Wednesday 15 January, live on Sky Sports Golf, with a repeat of the match later that day. New York Golf Club returns to action on January 22 against Atlanta Drive GC (12am UK time), while Bay Golf Club returns with two matches on February 17.
Who will win the inaugural TGL Season and SoFi Cup? Watch every match of the 2025 and 2026 seasons live exclusively on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more now.