Ludvig Aberg TGL Image via TGL
GolfBy Matt Yoder on

It was hard to even quantify what the expectations were for TGL when the upstart sim golf league debuted on ESPN this winter given all of the variables in place between the massive investments, big names, experimental nature of the product, and ongoing drama in the golf world.

But whatever expectations were in place with TGL, golf fans, and ESPN, they have undoubtedly been surpassed on all fronts.

On the Monday Presidents’ Day holiday, TGL went all out with an all day tripleheader on ESPN. And while some of the early matches have been marked by blowouts that weren’t competitive until the end, all three matches on Monday went down to the wire with thrilling action and highlights.

In the first match, Justin Thomas chipped in for Atlanta to force overtime against Los Angeles. And even though Tommy Fleetwood holed out for LA, Atlanta won the best two-out-of-three format.

In the second match, The Bay defeated Atlanta when Thomas barely missed a putt on the last hole to send the match into overtime again. The Bay was led by Ludvig Aberg, who less than 24 hours earlier had won his first signature event at Torrey Pines.

The fact that Aberg traveled all the way across the country to play in two sim golf matches on Monday after such an important PGA Tour victory on Sunday is a huge testament to the investment of golf’s top players in TGL, which is one of the main reasons for its success so far. Maybe that’s something the NBA can take note of.

Aberg also starred in the evening nightcap to the tripleheader as The Bay defeated Boston Common again by just one point. But it was his teammate Wyndham Clark who nailed the match winning putt on the final hole after Boston attempted to ice him with a timeout.

On a day when none of the major professional sports were in action (although hockey did have the final preliminary round games in the 4 Nations Face-Off) this was an opportunity for TGL to really make a statement to sports fans that they mean business as a sporting enterprise worth taking seriously. And they delivered in every possible way with great competition and great entertainment.

Very wisely, TGL implemented a slight rules change this week, giving each team three hammer throws per match. This led to way more strategy and much closer contests as every match went down to the final hole. And with the results up for grabs all the way through, you could see just how locked in the players were throughout each contest. The fact that there were some legitimately great highlights featuring long drives, chip-ins, and pressure putts only added to the very real excitement and energy.

And the great thing about it is that you don’t necessarily need to be a hardcore TGL aficionado or know who is on The Bay or Atlanta Drive to buy in and connect. The casual nature of TGL makes it a very easy watch for sports fans who may tune in out of curiosity or even to have on in the background. The combination of live play around the greens and impressive sim technology is a great made-for-TV environment. The engagement of the players communicates to folks at home that this is worth watching and we’re seeing more of their personalities by the week. And most importantly – TGL is fun to watch.

The rave reviews for the TGL Monday tripleheader were nearly unanimous.

ESPN and TGL are already said to be very pleased with better than expected ratings so far this season. And the good reviews and great vibes of Monday’s matches should only hope to grow the momentum for the league with Tiger Woods making another appearance on Tuesday night.

It may be a little too early to declare “Mission Accomplished” given the first season is halfway done, but TGL has been a greater success both from a quality and viewership perspective than even Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy themselves could have ever imagined in their wildest dreams. It may turn out to be just what the game of golf needed after all.

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