Tiger Woods Returns to Competition, but Los Angeles Golf Club Takes the Victory in the TGL Final
In an event that marked Tiger Woods’ return to competition after more than a year, Los Angeles Golf Club prevailed with authority in the TGL final, taking the SoFi Cup with a score of 9-2 on Tuesday night. Woods, who had been acting as captain and cheerleader for Jupiter Links while recovering from back surgery in October, decided to play on Monday night, replacing Kevin Kisner, after Los Angeles won the first game of the best-of-three series. The crucial moment for Woods was a missed three-foot putt on the seventh hole, which generated a shift in momentum in favor of LAGC. The 15-hole match ended in just 10.Woods had previously indicated that participating in the TGL was just a step in his recovery. He provided no indication as to whether he will play in the Masters from April 9-12.We got beat up at the end. Three straight eagles… I missed a short one and we gave them the momentum, and we never got it back.
Tiger Woods
Los Angeles’ initial advantage came thanks to Woods’ mistake. Tommy Fleetwood achieved a 12-foot eagle on the eighth hole. Max Homa previously suggested “dropping the hammer”, which would be worth two points, if Jupiter took advantage of a par 5 in the alternate shot. The strategy didn’t work as expected. Fleetwood hit the ball towards a bunker, while Woods used a 3-wood to avoid it. Homa managed an approach to 15 feet for an eagle opportunity, but Justin Rose made a spectacular shot from the bunker to less than 15 feet. Tom Kim missed the eagle putt from Jupiter, and Sahith Theegala holed his putt for an eagle, establishing a 6-2 lead before the singles stage. That advantage lasted only one hole. Homa missed the fairway on a par 5 and had to lay up. Rose hit the fairway and his second shot rolled to 4 feet. LAGC “dropped the hammer” (making the hole worth three points) and Homa had to sink his putt to have any chance. He missed, the eagle was conceded and Los Angeles Golf Club took the $9 million prize.This body… it doesn’t recover like when I was 24 or 25 years old. That doesn’t mean I don’t try. I’ve had a couple of bad injuries here in the last few years that I’ve had to fight through and it’s taken me some time. But I keep trying.
Tiger Woods
Homa later commented that he thought Jupiter should win the hole to extend the match.It sucked. I’m not going to say much more than that.
Max Homa
It was a really stupid decision on my part.
Max Homa
His first full swing was with a 3-wood from 279 yards, which gave him a birdie and a 1-0 lead. Jupiter went up 2-0 when Woods left a 45-foot putt a foot away for a conceded birdie. Those were the highlights.
It’s not yet clear whether Woods will decide to be the captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team for the 2027 matches in Ireland. The PGA of America expects an answer by the end of the month. Her mind was focused on the game she played.It was great to be back with these guys. Frustrated that we didn’t make it. We had opportunities. It feels good to be back. I’d like to be back in better circumstances.
Tiger Woods
