PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA | Golf fans had been looking forward to Monday night’s TGL match between Jupiter Links and Boston Common since the schedule was announced.
It’s one of the few times we get to see the best players of their generation play against each other. Even in team golf.
Tiger vs. Rory.
Or, Rory vs. Tiger, depending upon your age and birthplace.
The two megastars have combined to win 19 majors, earned more than $210 million together on the PGA Tour, ranking 1-2, and won a combined 108 PGA Tour events.
Woods and McIlroy are the ones who made TGL possible when they were approached with the idea in 2020 by former Golf Channel executive Mike McCarley.
ESPN didn’t waste its marketing pitch on the teams for Monday night’s match at SoFi Center. The worldwide leader’s promos said, “Tiger vs. Rory,” and it’s easy to see why.
Monday night marked only the 20th time since 2020 Woods and McIlroy have played in the same event, though comparing a TGL match to a major seems far-fetched.
It’s not. Listen to how McIlroy described Tiger’s demeanor after Jupiter Links’ 4-3 victory over Boston Common that was decided by TGL’s first overtime chip-off.
“I’ve been in a couple of final groups with him, and he has just as much intensity out there tonight as he does when he’s trying to win a major championship or trying to finish off a golf tournament,” McIlroy said. “He was feeling it out there, and it was really cool to see.”
No surprise the Woods-McIlroy face-off produced one of the biggest moments of the match. Jupiter Links was leading 3-2 when McIlroy made a 9-foot birdie on the 13th hole, which meant Woods had to make his 8-footer to keep the lead.
“I thought it was a good opportunity if he missed to get two points. But no, he stepped up and delivered like he usually does.” – Rory McIlroy
McIlroy doubled down by throwing the hammer, meaning the hole was worth two points. Why challenge the GOAT?
“He’s getting a little older. His eyes might have been going,” McIlroy said with a smile. “I thought it was a good opportunity if he missed to get two points. But no, he stepped up and delivered like he usually does.”
Woods celebrated in vintage style, spiking the ball into the green after his putt lipped in. It was quite a contrast from their singles match on the 10th hole when Woods lost after inexplicably allowing the 40-second clock to run out.
“That was on me,” Woods said. “I should have called timeout as I built in my stance. But I was dropping my heart rate down like I normally would. It just took too long.”
Amazingly, Woods and McIlroy have never faced off in a Ryder Cup. But they have played in the same group 29 times in their PGA Tour career, the last coming in the first two rounds of the 2023 Genesis Invitational (with Tiger holding a 14-12-3 overall lead).
Point being: Tiger vs. Rory hasn’t happened much lately, and it’s not going to happen many more times in the future.
Woods had time to yuck it up with McIlroy during their match, but there were also some intense moments (click on images to enlarge).
So, you better enjoy moments like Monday night, even if it was in an indoor, tech-infused league instead of the back nine on Sunday at Augusta National. That’s why everyone made sure Woods and McIlroy would square off in the two holes of singles play.
“No, we don’t (have much more time competing against each other),” Woods said. “We haven’t really played that much head-to-head, but I’ve played plenty against him in stroke play.
“But this is different. This is a totally different animal and a different beast. It’s more for entertaining. It’s more for the growth of the game. The fact that the two owners came together tonight and put on a show like this, it was a very important night.”
“I don’t think anyone can underestimate the impact that he’s had on our game and the impact that he’s had on all of us as professional golfers. Would TGL exist if Tiger wasn’t around for 20 years? Probably not.” – Rory McIlroy
The TGL needed a down-to-the-wire finish after opening with three blowouts. Tom Kim, who was the star of the night, and Kevin Kisner won their chip-offs against Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott, respectively.
The only downer was, had Scott won, the match would have come down to the final chips by Woods and McIlroy. How cool would that have been?
McIlroy paid tribute to his rival and good friend afterward. As much as Rory hated losing, he always sees the big picture with 20-20 vision.
“I don’t think anyone can underestimate the impact that he’s had on our game and the impact that he’s had on all of us as professional golfers,” McIlroy said of Woods. “Would TGL exist if Tiger wasn’t around for 20 years? Probably not.
“They always say never meet your heroes, but with Tiger that couldn’t be further from the truth.”