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Vibe Checks: Tomorrow’s Golf League, today
The golf was simulated, but the tension was real.
The championship match of the first season of TGL (TMRW Golf League) was Tuesday night. The league had been running for two and a half months, with teams of PGA Tour players hitting shots into a giant simulator screen and then putting and chipping around a customizable green at their indoor arena in South Florida. The tech is incredible even after watching it work for weeks.
For most of the season, though, the stakes felt lacking. Players giggled after they hit bad shots. They talked light trash. They did friendly interviews with ESPN sideline reporter Marty Smith. If anyone cared much about the outcome, they didn’t show it. That changed when Billy Horschel, the No. 20 player in the world, drained an electrifying 18-foot putt that set up Atlanta Drive Golf Club’s comeback over New York Golf Club in the championship match. Horschel went berserk, as did the crowd. It was a neat moment.
Was the first season of TGL a success? A lot of people in golf are asking that question, and many are answering “yes.” A more fundamental question, though: What is success for TGL?
- TV ratings? They were rock-solid. Around a million people watched at the highest points, and the league easily beat what a typical studio program would provide on a Tuesday.
- A show of great golf? Eh, your mileage may vary.
- A way to reward PGA Tour players? Absolutely. Atlanta’s players made $2.25 million each. A nice little carrot for Tour players who haven’t left for LIV.
- A Tiger Woods platform? Not really. The co-founder of the league didn’t play well in his matches, and then he ruptured an Achilles midseason. Oof.
- Clippable moments? A few, yeah, led by Horschel’s buttery putt Tuesday.
- “Growing the game”? Too early to tell. Did TGL create any new golf fans?
I figured I’d just ask The Athletic senior sports media columnist Andrew Marchand: Did TGL and its TV partner each get what they wanted?
💬 TGL and ESPN were thrilled with the first season. Where it goes — potentially without Tiger and with the new car smell gone — remains to be seen. However, when you look at the numbers that they put up and the buzz it received, it was a definite success. It is hard to find viewership cheaply, with controlled costs, these days, so this was definitely a win.
More to come, including possible expansion. Read up here.
News to Know
Upsets nowhere to be found
Friday’s NCAA Tournament action brought a whole lot of chalk across the board. But it certainly didn’t come easy: With 2.8 seconds to play, No. 1 Houston found itself tied with No. 4 Purdue in what felt like a true road game for the Cougars. Kelvin Sampson drew up a beauty from the baseline. Ballgame, as the Cougars advance. Tennessee is next.
All in all, the top seeds all advanced. The women’s side proved no different, with a sweep from the four favorites. A couple highlights:
Elite Eight action is up next on the men’s side – and Saturday’s slate may very well feature the game of the year. More on that later.
Grizzlies dismiss Jenkins
The Grizzlies shocked the NBA world with a bizarre move Friday afternoon, firing Taylor Jenkins with nine games left in the regular season. Memphis is 44-29 and tied for fourth in a stacked Western Conference despite getting just 43 games out of Ja Morant. Where did the wheels fall off for the franchise’s all-time winningest coach? Our experts have much more on what in the world is going on in Memphis.
More news
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What to Watch
📺 MLB: Mets at Astros
7 p.m. ET on Fox
Juan Soto in blue and orange. Jose Altuve playing left field. Plus, Astros rookie right fielder Cam Smith, one of MLB’s hottest prospects, getting his feet wet. An early gift from interleague play.
📺 NCAAW: No. 1 USC vs. No. 5 Kansas State
8 p.m. ET on ESPN
A fraught regional semifinal here. USC (-1.5, per BetMGM) is the better team but has to pick itself up emotionally and hoops-wise following a season-ending injury to JuJu Watkins. After that enormous bummer comes a chance for the Trojans to rally around their superstar.
📺 NCAAM: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 Alabama
8:49 p.m. ET on TBS
The night-capper in the Elite Eight could be the game of the year so far. Cooper Flagg is in Terminator mode. Mark Sears leads a Bama offense that’s nearly as prolific as Duke’s. Expect a shootout.
Need more recs? Staff around our newsroom shared their top games to watch this weekend.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Reminder: On weekends, we’ll use this space to both showcase our favorite content from The Athletic and share authentic recommendations for things we simply enjoyed.
The Athletic’s weekly sports news quiz. Test your knowledge here.
A rousing rendition of “the horah” at a wedding reception – Alex Kirshner
Jayson Tatum’s Small Wins gummy candy. — Torrey Hart
Brooks Kubena’s fascinating look at the “battle for blue,” aka a petty feud between the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans over who owns the Houston Oilers’ branding and history.
“Patience, Moonbeam,” the new album from Great Grandpa. — Levi Weaver
The comedian Ronny Chieng is on a heater. — Chris Sprow
Sprow surprised me (on the back of Thursday’s TAFC) by saying he’d never heard of treacle, meaning it must be a quintessentially British delicacy. If you can get your hands on a treacle tart, do it. And thank me later. — Phil Hay
Popeyes Blackened Ranch is sold in stores now, and I’ve never been happier. — Chris Branch
Listening to the new Deafheaven at 7 a.m. — Jason Kirk
Andrew Marchand’s review of Joe Buck’s smooth return to the baseball broadcast booth at a rocky time for MLB and ESPN.
Most-clicked in yesterday’s newsletter: Megan Feringa’s fascinating story on the evolution of sports bras.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our newser on the Grizzlies firing Taylor Jenkins.
(Top photo: Brennan Asplen / TGL Golf via Getty Images)