TGL: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy watch on as Shane Lowry, Ludvig Åberg star for The Bay Golf Club in season opener

Shane Lowry secured 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 the inaugural TGL season.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were among those watching at the purpose-built SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Florida for the opening event of the tech-infused golf league, launched by their company TMRW Sports, which sees PGA Tour stars go head-to-head in teams and using a hybrid of virtual and real-life play.

Lowry, Åberg and Wyndham Clark raced into a 6-0 lead after just six holes into the 15-hole contest, which is played using alternate shot – or triples – for the opening nine-hole session, then guaranteed victory early in the singles before extending their winning margin.

The Bay Golf Club earn two points and go top of the the season-long SoFi Cup standings, while New York Golf Club – consisting of Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler on the opening night – remain without a victory.

Historic night for the TGL

Lowry struck the opening tee shot of the historic contest and watched on just minutes later as Åberg drained a nine-foot birdie putt at The Plank – the driveable par-four used as the first hole – for the early 1-0 lead.

The Bay opened with ‘The Hammer’, which gives a team the chance to put their opponents under pressure by doubling the value of the hole, with Clark taking advantage on the par-three third by holing a seven-footer and moving them three ahead.

Åberg fired a brilliant approach at the par-five fifth to set up a close-range birdie for Lowry, with the Swede pulling The Bay further clear by draining a 32-foot birdie at the fifth and helping them to a stress-free winning par at the next.

New York GC didn’t earn their first point until the par-five ninth, where a crafty chip from Fitzpatrick resulted in a birdie being conceded, before Lowry beat Fowler in the opening hole of singles to give The Bay an unassailable advantage with five holes to spare.

Clark and Åberg won the next two holes before Fowler ended the streak by beating Lowry on the 13th, with the one-sided contest finishing with the two teams sharing the spoils on both the final two singles holes.

“It was awesome,” Åberg said after their victory. “I always said I was so jealous of basketball and football players because they get to do this a lot and we don’t.

“So this whole stadium-like feel is awesome to be a part of, and it gets you going a little bit differently from a normal golf tournament.”

Speaking about the opening event, Woods said on ESPN: “This was just a dream conjured up. Rory and I were talking about it; it’s hard to believe that dream came into reality and we were able to take golf into another stratosphere, really.”

What’s next?

The inaugural season continues January 14, with Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club up against a Los Angeles Golf Club headlined by two-time major champion Collin Morikawa.

Coverage begins from 2am on Wednesday January 15, live on Sky Sports Golf, with the match repeated later that day. New York Golf Club are back in action on January 22 against Atlanta Drive GC (12am start UK time), while The Bay Golf Club return with two matches on February 17.

Who will win the inaugural TGL season and the SoFi Cup? Watch every match of the 2025 and 2026 seasons exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.