GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
ESPN has managed to attract plenty of viewers with the help of TGL, the simulator-based golf league that made its grand debut last month. However, the network seemingly did what it could to cover up a fairly egregious glitch that left Tommy Fleetwood and plenty of others scratching their head when it transpired on Tuesday night.
In 2022, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy revealed they’d teamed up to helm a new venture in the form of TGL, which was initially scheduled to play its inaugural season in 2024.
However, the start date was pushed to 2025 due to a setback during the construction of the SoFi Center (the arena housing the massive simulator that serves as the main attraction), and things officially got underway when the first match unfolded in Palm Beach on January 7th.
TGL attempted to set itself apart with a state-of-the-art set-up that allows golfers to hit off real grass and sand while putting on a green that can change with every single hole thanks to a hydraulic system that’s used to adjust the slope to allow for virtually infinite configurations.
The shots themselves are tracked with the Full Swing Kit simulator system (the brand had previously signed a partnership deal with Tiger before landing the TGL contract). That particular sim harnesses radar technology to calculate the golf ball’s distance, spin, and trajectory (there are 16 different units situated inside the SoFi Center) while forgoing the camera that competitors like Trackman 4 and the FlightScope Mevo+ harness as part of a hybrid approach.
While that’s usually enough to produce accurate data, that was not the case when Tommy Fleetwood attempted his third shot on the par-5 that served as the second hole of the TGL match that unfolded on Tuesday night.
Fleetwood was 167 yards away from the virtual flagstick when he hit what appeared to be a solid iron shot, but it somehow only traveled 39 yards on the simulator before coming to rest as the befuddled golfer attempted to process what happened before McIlory bluntly asked “What just happened?”
It’s unclear exactly what went wrong, but it does seem like there’s a chance the simulator ended up tracking the divot Fleetwood took when he swung as opposed to the ball he sent rocketing at the massive screen.
The TGL rulebook does have a plan in place for a scenario like this, which reads:
The referee or booth official shall have the ability to deem a shot during screenplay an “inaccurate computation” at their discretion to maintain the integrity of the match and facilitate the competition. They will also have the authority to deem a “re-hit.”
Fleetwood was subsequently granted a mulligan that landed in the bunker, and the Los Angeles Golf Club squad comprised of himself, Colin Morikawa, and Justin Rose ultimately won the hole to pull out to a 2-0 lead en route to the 6-2 victory over the Boston Common trio of McIlroy, Adam Scott, and Keegan Bradley.
While that awkward moment was aired in full on the broadcast, you’d be forgiven for not knowing it transpired if you took a look at the TGL and ESPN social media feeds that declined to upload a clip as well as the condensed YouTube recap that was absent of any of the approach shots on the second hole (the only one of the night to receive that particular treatment).
People don’t forget.